<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Miraculous Tales of Hummingbird by wantsumfuk</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24651292">Miraculous Tales of Hummingbird</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/wantsumfuk/pseuds/wantsumfuk'>wantsumfuk</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Miraculous Tales of Hummingbird [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, F/M, I'll add more tags as i go, In order of episodes, Love Triangles, Mild Language, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Quarantine tingz, Reader is bi, Reader knows all, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, adrien and reader are endgame, like very slow, love hexagon????, reader does theater because why not, super slow burn, with some filler chapters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 03:20:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>132,765</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24651292</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/wantsumfuk/pseuds/wantsumfuk</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When (Y/n) moved to Paris from America she wasn't expecting many things. For one, she didn't expect to become a bird themed superhero. She also didn't expect to get stuck in a very complicated love triangle.</p><p>     Now between juggling school, her personal life, and crime fighting, (Y/n) is doing her best at not cracking under pressure. Will she be able to help Ladybug and Chat Noir find the supervillain Hawk Moth? Will she be able to detangle herself from this awful love triangle? As Master Fu likes to say, it seems that only time will tell.</p><p>(season one)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug (one-sided), Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Reader, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Reader (minimal and one-sided)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Miraculous Tales of Hummingbird [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1884211</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>159</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>397</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Origins: Part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Simple stuff you probably know by now</p><p>(Y/n): Your name<br/>(N/n): Nickname<br/>(L/n): Last name<br/>(e/c): eye color</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"Many centuries ago, magic jewels bestowing extraordinary powers were created. These were... the Miraculous. Throughout history, heroes have used these jewels for the good of the human race." </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"Three of these Miraculous are more powerful than the others; the earrings of the Ladybug, which provide the power of creation; the ring of the Black Cat, which grants the power of destruction; and the necklace of the Hummingbird, which bestows the power of balance."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"According to legend, whoever controls all three of these jewels at the same time, will achieve absolute power." A small, glowing figure hovered in the air. It looked into the eyes of their master as it shared its knowledge and story with the man.</span>
</p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">A larger figure stared into the eyes of the small creature, the </span> <span class="s2"> <em>kwami</em> </span> <span class="s1">. The man's eyes shone with power and greed. "I want that absolute power, Nooroo. I must have those Miraculous!" The man clutched the brooch that held his power. He stroked the Miraculous as his curiosity grew. </span></p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"But nobody knows where these Miraculous are!" The creature, Nooroo, frowned as the man had a power hungry look in his eyes. The man smiled sinisterly, "I found you though, my little Nooroo. Your Miraculous... remind me of its powers again."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Nooroo smiled, he was excited to share what powers he could grant his master. Maybe it could change the man's mind on how to perceive this knowledge about Miraculouses. "The Moth Brooch allows you to give someone their own superpowers and to make that person your devoted follower!"</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"And when it comes to luring superheroes, what could be better than creating supervillains?" The man grinned again. Nooroo felt dread build up inside of him as he realized the mindset the man was setting into. "But master, the Miraculous are not meant to be used for evil purposes!" The kwami quickly defended, wishing he wasn't too late on setting his master up to do good. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"I must have this absolute power!" The man angrily pointed at his kwami and the small figure did his best not to cower at the angry look of his master's eyes. "Your Miraculous is in my control! I am your master now, and you must obey me."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Defeated, Nooroo realized it was too late to save his wielder from the path of evil. He sadly bowed his head, giving in to the man that held his brooch. "Yes, master." The man, content with having dominance over the kwami, put on the brooch. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"Nooroo, dark wings! Rise!" As Nooroo was getting sucked into the Miraculous, he noticed the butterflies in the room began to surround his master. A bright light flooded the room as the man transformed into his "hero" outfit. He made his way into the light and evilly smiled. "From this day on, I shall be known as... Hawk Moth!"</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">___</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"Hey, (N/n)! Come help with these boxes!" A young man called out. (Y/n) was admiring the interior of the new apartment before her uncle called her name through the window. "Coming, George!" The girl yelled as she ran down the stairs to reach the U-haul truck. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">(Y/n) is a young girl from America. Her uncle George and his wife Skylar told her family that they planned on moving to France so that George could get a good jumpstart on his culinary career. He practically begged your dad, his brother, to talk with your mom about letting you move with him. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Since (Y/n)'s relationships with her parents weren't exactly all that great, with enough begging they were persuaded into giving George custody over her and let (Y/n) move with him and Skylar to Paris. It was one less mouth for them to feed.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The idea was a bit weird to her at first, considering her uncle was only 25 and his wife was 23, but they both assured (Y/n) they were prepared for whatever teenager problems the girl would soon throw their way. Before she knew it, she had a one-way ticket to Paris in one hand and a French textbook in the other. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Back to the new appartment, (Y/n) sighed at the amount of work ahead of her, and the family spent about 4 hours moving in furniture and boxes containing various things like decor and gaming consoles. After another hour of roughly sorting out most boxes in their respective rooms and setting up half of the furniture, (Y/n) flopped onto the hardwood floor in the living room.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"I can't wait to go to sleep." (Y/n) muttered and George lightly kicked her foot. "Get up kiddo, it's only 5 in the afternoon." (Y/n) sat up in shock and looked at her phone. Sure enough, the time stated 5:13 pm. "You're kidding?! That felt like it took hours!" George walked to the kitchen, putting away groceries, and Skylar went to help get (Y/n) off the floor. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"Yeah? Wait until we have to put everything away." The young woman smiled, as (Y/n) groaned at the thought. The couple laughed and (Y/n) shook her head in disappointment. "Can we take a break? Like go out to walk or something?" (Y/n) asked as she placed a box labelled Kitchenware on the dining table. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"Now that I think about it, I need to drop off my applications, babe." Skylar muttered to George as he began putting away the Kitchenware and supplies. "Can't you do that tomorrow? We need to set up the rooms and the cars haven't even arrived yet and-" Skylar rolled her eyes at her spouses rambling and walked up to him to give him a peck on the lips. "(Y/n) needs a break, George. We'll be back by 7. It'd be nice to explore the city." </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">(Y/n) saw her uncle's eyes dart to her and she smiled. George pouted and looked back at his wife. "Who's gonna help me make dinner?" Skylar rolled her eyes and smiled, "George..." Sighing, the young man gave Skylar a peck on the cheek. "Fine. I'll have the pasta ready by 7:30." He muttered and Skylar and (Y/n) smiled at each other. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"Nice!" (Y/n) grinned to herself as she got her shoes and a jacket on and Skylar grabbed eight folders that most likely held her applications. "Keep each other safe!" George called out as they opened the door. "We will!" The two replied as they made their way out.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">___</span>
</p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">"How many more folders do you have left?" (Y/n) asked her aunt as she put away her phone, which was now at 36%. Skylar looked through her purse and smiled. "Only two. I just got to leave one nearby here at </span> <span class="s2"> <em>La Belle Fashion Corp.</em> </span> <span class="s1"> and the Agreste Manor which is only about five or six streets away." </span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">"So, are you ready to go to school tomorrow?" Skylar asked (Y/n) as they walked through a small park. (Y/n) stopped in her tracks and looked at Skylar with wide eyes. "</span> <span class="s2"> <em>What</em> </span> <span class="s1">!?! I'm starting school </span> <span class="s2">this</span> <span class="s1"> week? I thought I was gonna start </span> <span class="s2"> <em>next</em> </span> <span class="s1"> week!" </span></p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The woman sympathetically smiled and placed a hand on (Y/n)'s back. "It's a new school year, everyone's first day is tomorrow. You might as well settle in with half the other people that are new than be a week behind." The two began to walk again and the younger girl pouted. "But I'm going to be so jetlagged-"</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"We all are going to be, hun. Don't worry though, you won't be the only one suffering. The beds haven't arrived so we're all going to have to sleep in sleeping bags. George starts work at 7 and I have to finish decorating our apartment. It's going to be a tough day for all of us tomorrow." </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">(Y/n) let out a heavy sigh as she looked at her aunt sadly. "I guess. But why can't I stay with you and help you out with the apartment stuff?" Skylar patted the girl's shoulder and smiled. "As much as I'd love your company, I'd love it more to see you get your education."</span>
</p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">The girl playfully rolled her eyes and smiled. "Okay fine. You're gonna have to wake me up though. Knowing me I'll sleep through all of my fifteen alarms. You also owe me three boxes of macarons." Skylar let out a giggle as the <em>La </em></span> <span class="s2"><em>Belle Fashion</em> </span> <span class="s1">building came into view. "You got youself a deal."</span></p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"Do you think they'll like your designs?" (Y/n) asked the young woman as she shakily shrugged her shoulders. "I hope so. I applied to 15 other places last week but these last 8 said they wanted the portfolio in person."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">(Y/n) nodded and smiled at Skylar sympathetically. "After they see your designs all of these places will be begging you to join their team." Skylar gave the young girl a soft grin and ruffled her hair. "Thanks, (n/n)." (Y/n) pouted at her now messy hair but let out a small giggle as Skylar hip bumped her. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">As soon as the two reached the doors of the building, a light drizzle of rain started to fall. "Crap. I didn't bring an umbrella." Skylar sheepishly smiled while she looked through her purse and (Y/n) opened the door for her. It started to rain harder, and when (Y/n) looked ahead she saw an old man in a red hawaiian shirt shakily climb up a large flight of stairs. He was grabbing the wet railing with one hand and tightly grasped his umbrella in the other.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Most people passed the old man and (Y/n) bit her lip, scared of the idea of the man slipping. "Are you gonna come in?" Skylar asked her niece. (Y/n) hesitated and shook her head. "I'm gonna help that man over climb the stairs. I can meet you back here when I'm done?" Skylar smiled at the girl's compassion and nodded. "Okay, don't take too long. Please be careful." </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The young woman walked into the building and (Y/n) ran in the sprinkling rain to the staircase. She climbed up a couple of steps before reaching the old man. As (Y/n) was about to tap his shoulder, the man slipped and nearly fell on the marble steps under him. </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">(Y/n) let out a small yelp as she grabbed the man's arm and pulled him up before he could hit his face. "Careful, sir! Would you like some help?" The old chinese man beamed and nodded. "Yes, yes! That would be nice. You have very good reflexes, young lady." (Y/n) smiled, linking arms with him and began to make small talk. </span>
</p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">As they reached the top of the stairs the old man smiled. "Do you think you could give me directions to </span> <span class="s2"> <em>Le Café au Coin de la Rue</em> </span> <span class="s1">? If I remember correctly it's down the street nearby." (Y/n) gave the man a skeptical look at first, then smiled politely. "I- Uhm- Afraid not sir. I'm new to Paris, if I go any farther down the street I wouldn't be able to make my way home, hehe."</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">  </span> <span class="s2"> <em>Crap, I shouldn't have said that. Now I seem vulnerable.</em> </span> <span class="s1"> Merde<em>, </em></span> <span class="s2"> <em>I should've brought my pepper spray</em> </span> <span class="s1"><em>.</em> The old man seemed pleased with the girl's answer, which made (Y/n) panic even more. </span> <span class="s2"> <em>I should take him to a more populated area so I </em> </span> <span class="s1">don't</span> <span class="s2"> <em>get kidnapped</em></span> <span class="s1">. "How about I take you to that record shop right there? Maybe there'll be a Parisian that can help."</span></p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"That would be much appreciated, miss." He nodded. (Y/n) quickly crossed the street and dropped him off at the record shop, trying very hard not to come off as rude. As she was turning back to the stairs, the old man tapped her shoulder. "Please, take my umbrella. We wouldn't want you catching a cold." </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">(Y/n) hesitated, but when the rain seem to pour down harder, she graciously smiled and thanked the man. She waved a small goodbye to him and made her way back to the designer building. Standing outside, was Skylar with an umbrella. "The lady at the front desk was kind enough to give me this for us to share. One good deed leads to another, right?"</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">(Y/n) grinned and shook her head, "That's okay. The old man I helped gave me his umbrella as a thanks." The two began to walk again to their last stop and Skylar gave her niece a smile. "Hey, if we still have time we should pass by that pastry shop nearby the house. Remember, the Tom and Sabine one?"</span>
</p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">(Y/n) buried herself in her jacket and did her best not to shiver.</span> <span class="s2"> <em>I am not gonna get sick the day before school</em></span> <span class="s1">. "Sounds good to me!" (Y/n) grinned at her aunt. From above the staircase, the old man in the Hawaiian shirt smiled with a new umbrella in his hand. </span></p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"Who are you planning to give her, master?" A small green kwami asked the older man as he sat on his master's shoulder. "She was very intelligent, Wayzz, and very quick on her feet. I think she might have what it takes..." </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">___</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"So why are we dropping the folder off at the guy's house instead of his building?" (Y/n) asked as the rain began to make the sky look darker. "Mr. Agreste has a whole team at his corporate, but he's asking for an assistant that can work with him nearby. He's a very secluded and powerful man, he doesn't want to go out much. If I get the job, I'll have a study here where I can tweak his designs to be at its best, and I'll kind of be the messenger between his ideas and the office."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"That's cool, but why is he all secluded? You'd think you'd get bored sitting in your house all day doing nothing but designs." (Y/n) and Skylar began to reach a very big mansion. It took everything in (Y/n)'s power not to gape at the estate in front of her.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"I can assure you, Mr. Agreste definitely has the space to stick around the house and not get bored. Besides I'm pretty sure he doesn't lock himself in his room and play Animal Crossing all day like a certain girl I know." Skylar grinned and (Y/n) smiled sheepishly as she began to blush in embarrassment.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Once they reached the tall, black gates, Skylar let out a nervous sigh and ringed the intercom. A camera popped out from the wall and zoomed into Skylar's face. "Uhm, hello! I'm Skylar (L/n)? I filed an application last week for Mr. Agreste's Assistant in design and I was told to bring a portfolio of my work this week."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The camera stood in place for a second before retracting itself back into the wall. Before (Y/n) could ask what was happening, the large black gates began to open. "Woah!" (Y/n) smiled, and the two stood there, unsure of what to do, until the large doors of the mansion began to open.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"I'm assuming we should go inside?" Skylar muttered. As they began walking into the estate they saw a silhouette of a woman at the door. When they went inside the house, they closed their umbrellas and (Y/n) almost gasped at how clean and pristine the house looked. The first thing that caught her attention was a giant painting at the top of the staircase of a man and a boy. From the corner of her eye she could see a giant bodyguard that kind of resembled a gorilla standing to the right of them.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The woman they saw earlier stepped up to Skylar and put her hand out to shake. "I'm Nathalie Sancoeur, Mr. Agreste's personal assistant. I will take you to see him in his office. Who is this?" After shaking hands with Skylar, Nathalie gave (Y/n) a pointed look and furrowed her eyebrows.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"This is my niece, (Y/n). She was accompanying me on my walk here. I'm very sorry, I wasn't aware we were going to enter Mr. Agreste's office." Skylar put a hand on (Y/n)'s shoulder and the girl nervously kept eye contact with Nathalie. The assistant nodded, "She'll have to stay here. Come with me, Mrs. (L/n)." </span>
</p><p class="p1">     "Please, Skylar is fine." Nathalie nodded again and they began to climb up the stairs. (Y/n) stood in place, afraid of the gorilla man that was watching her every move. After a couple of minutes, as she tried pulling out her phone, she heard a door open.</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">(Y/n) was prepared to turn and leave the house, but instead of seeing the two women come down the stairs, she saw a boy around her age with blond hair. He was holding large a stack of papers and came out of a door to her left. He looked exactly like the boy in the painting.</span>
</p><p class="p1">     His green eyes made eye contact with (Y/n)'s (e/c) ones and he looked at her in confusion. "Hi?" (Y/n) hesitantly said, but before the boy could respond the gorilla guy grunted and pointed back to the door where the boy came from.</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The boy seemed annoyed and confused, but nodded and went back to the room without another word. (Y/n) watched the interaction in confusion. She made eye contact with the bodyguard and decided it'd be best if she stayed quiet.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Not soon after that, Skylar and Nathalie left the room and were on their way down the stairs. "I will email you Mr. Agreste's decision in three days. We will expect your answer 24 hours after the email has been sent." Nathalie walked both Skylar and (Y/n) out the door. They opened up their umbrellas as the bodyguard followed them out of the gates.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"Well? How did it go?" (Y/n) asked as they began to walk in the direction of the bakery. "It went well! Mr. Agreste said he like my designs and work ethic. How was standing with the bodyguard?" Skylar asked as the rain began to pour harder.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"Awful. I stood in complete silence and was afraid to take out my phone because the guy looked like he'd snap it in half." Skylar laughed and (Y/n) smiled. She furrowed her eyebrows again as she accidentally stepped in a puddle and remembered the boy she saw. "There was a boy who came out of a room, but before he could even say anything the gorilla guy made him go back in. Was that Mr. Agreste's son?"</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Skylar nodded and the two took a right turn, the main street coming into view. "His name is Adam or Adrien, if I can remember correctly. I'm pretty sure he does modeling or something like that. I saw one of his magazines on a table on the way to Mr. Agreste's study."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"I hope you get the job. It seems like he'd pay a lot." (Y/n) took out her phone to check the time and the screen shone the numbers 7:09 pm. On her left, Skylar let out a small sigh. "I hope so too, hun. I'll text your uncle and let him know that we're on our way home." The two continued their walk to the bakery in silence as the rain splattered around them.</span>
</p><p class="p1">___</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">(Y/n) smiled at the faint aroma of pastries and bread that came from the shop. "Even through the rain you can smell it from here!" Skylar grinned. (Y/n) opened the door for her aunt and walked in after her. They closed their umbrellas and looked around the very fragrant shop.</span>
</p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">"</span> <span class="s2"> <em>Bonjour</em> </span> <span class="s1">! Welcome to <em>Tom and Sabine </em></span> <span class="s2"> <em>Boulangerie Patisserie</em> </span> <span class="s1">! If you need any help, feel free to ask me anything!" A short chinese woman smiled from behind the cash register. "</span> <span class="s2"> <em>Merci</em> </span> <span class="s1">." (Y/n) and Skylar smiled at her as they continued to look at the pastries and bread respectively.</span></p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">After five minutes of looking around, (Y/n) beamed as she saw a box of macarons and spun around to try to grab her aunt's attention. Unfortunately, a girl who looked like the woman behind the cash register was right behind (Y/n), holding a basket of bread.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The two collided and both girls fell to the floor as the bread scattered everywhere. "Gah!!" (Y/n) yelped before making eye contact with the girl in front of her. She had bright blue eyes, and very dark hair in pigtails that almost seemed blue in the light. (Y/n) felt her cheeks burn up as she stared at the floor under her.</span>
</p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">"I'm not sorry!" (Y/n) exclaimed as she began to pick up the bread. The girl looked at her confused and insulted, and (Y/n) felt dread build up inside her as she realized her mistake. "I mean! I mean I'm </span> <span class="s2"> <em>very</em> </span> <span class="s1"> sorry! Please forgive me! I'm from America my French isn't all that great yet, I didn't mean to bump into you!"</span></p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">(Y/n) gave the girl the loaves that she picked up and stood up. "That's okay. I'm very clumsy so it wasn't entirely your fault." The girl smiled at (Y/n) and, hesitantly, (Y/n) offered a hand to help the girl up.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">After standing up, the girl shook (Y/n)'s hand. "I'm Marinette, very nice to meet you." (Y/n) repressed a blush as she took notice of how soft Marinette's hands were. "I'm (Y/n). I'm really sorry about your bread."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Marinette shook her head and smiled. "It's fine, these were stale anyway. I was bringing them back to the pantry. So you're from America? That's really cool!" (Y/n) sheepishly grinned, "Yeah, it's a lot different here than it is from my old town. For one it wasn't nearly as big as Paris."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Marinette let out a giggle, "I've lived here my whole life and I haven't even seen every nook and cranny of Paris myself." (Y/n) let out a nod and smiled. "Tell me about it. All I got to see today was the airport, my apartment, and like 20 different streets."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">Marinette let out a gasp and excitedly grabbed (Y/n)'s shoulder. "So you moved here just today? You haven't been able to see the tourist traps?" (Y/n) blushed and shook her head. "I've spent all day helping set up the apartment."</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"I'll have to show you around sometime!" Marinette grinned and (Y/n)gave her a nod. "Sure! You should give me your number, so we can keep in touch!" (Y/n) gave herself a mental pat on the back at her boldness and took out her phone. Marinette made herself a contact with the baguette emoji next to her name and took a quick selfie of the both of them as her contact picture.</span>
</p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">"What school are you going to?" Marinette asked as she handed (Y/n) back her phone. "I think it's </span> <span class="s2"> <em>Collège Françoise Dupont</em> </span> <span class="s1">?" Marinette smiled again and nodded. "I'll definitely be seeing you around tomorrow. Hopefully we could be in the same home room!" (Y/n) smiled back at Marinette. "That'd be nice!"</span></p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">As (Y/n) was finishing her conversation with Marinette, Skylar walked to the door with a bag of bread and pastries. "(N/n)! Time to go." (Y/n) frowned as she looked back to the pastry case. "Skylar, wait. I was gonna ask if we could take home some-"</span>
</p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">"Macarons? I already bought some. Say goodbye to your friend and let's get home before the rain gets bad again." Skylar smiled as she opened the door to step outside and open an umbrella. (Y/n) grinned, and turned back to Marinette to give her a cheerful wave. "I'll see you tomorrow Marinette. </span> <span class="s2"> <em>Au revoir</em> </span> <span class="s1">!"</span></p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">As (Y/n) was opening the door, Marinette gave her a wave back and smiled. "It's was nice meeting you, (Y/n)!" She called out before walking to the back with the basket of bread in hand. (Y/n) opened the door and her umbrella and stood next to her aunt.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">The rain calmed down a lot after they arrived at the bakery, and the two began to walk back to their apartment. "Hey look some periwinkles!" (Y/n) softly smiled as she plucked two flowers from the bush. The girl placed a flower in her and her aunt's hair, and Skylar gave her a small grin.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"Did you know periwinkles symbolize blossoming friendships and reaching your full potential?" Skylar stated as the rain around them lifted to a simple sprinkle. (Y/n) smirked as she jumped around a puddle on her side of the sidewalk.</span>
</p><p class="p2">
  <span class="s1">"Well then, my periwinkle will be my good luck charm for school tomorrow and your periwinkle will be your good luck charm for Mr. Agreste's job!" Skylar let out a small chuckle and playfully shook her head as the apartment complex came into view. They walked in content and silence until (Y/n)'s stomach started to growl. "George made spaghetti and meatballs."</span>
</p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">"Really?! I can't wait! I'm </span> <span class="s2"> <em>starving</em> </span> <span class="s1">! Last one to the apartment is a stale baguette!" (Y/n) laughed and ran towards the apartment building. Skylar let out a huff and smiled as she began to ran after (Y/n).</span></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Origins: Part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Upon arriving, (Y/n) swore she saw the Agreste boy speed off in a car with Nathalie and the bodyguard. She also thought she saw the old chinese man she helped yesterday walk off on the sidewalk with a cane on his shoulder. </p><p>     'I'm probably still sleepy, besides, any old guy could own a red Hawaiian shirt.' (Y/n) reassured herself as she ran up the steps to the entrance of the school.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Some stuff you probably already know by now:</p><p>(Y/n): Your name<br/>(N/n): Nickname<br/>(L/n): Last name</p><p>Look at the links below for the reference pic of your kwami!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    <em> "Hopefully we could be in the same home room!"</em></p><p>
  <em>     "That'd be nice!"</em>
</p><p>     "(Y/N)!!! Wake up! It's already 8:15!" Skylar threw open the door to the young teens bedroom. (Y/n) jolted up from her sleeping bag and gave her aunt a confused look as her jetlagged and sleep deprived brain tried to understand the situation.</p><p>     <em>Marinette... Bread... Periwinkles... Spaghettis...</em> "SCHOOL!!" (Y/n) gasped as she stood up and grabbed her phone from off the floor. Dread built up inside her as she realized that her phone died and she forgot to put it to charge last night.</p><p>     <em>"Merde!"</em> (Y/n) muttered under her breath as she slammed her door closed and changed into some decent clothes. She quickly packed her backpack with her textbooks and tablet, along with her portable charger, and slid on some shoes as she ran into the bathroom. </p><p>     "School starts at 8:30, (N/n)! We're a 20 minute walk away, 15 if you run!" Skylar told the girl as she was rapidly brushing her teeth in the bathroom. Skylar put two granola bars and a waterbottle filled with juice in the side pockets of the backpack as (Y/n) spat out the toothpaste.</p><p>     As she ran out of the bathroom, apart of her frowned as (Y/n) realized that she wouldn't be able to eat the most likely delicious breakfast her uncle left her on the counter, but when the clock on the oven read 8:21 (Y/n) began to panic again.</p><p>     She ran to the front door to grab her copy of the house keys and yelled out a goodbye to her aunt. (Y/n) ran down the stairs and out of the apartment complex and bolted in the direction of her school. She just hoped she would have some mercy from her teacher when she got there.</p><p>___</p><p>     Upon arriving, (Y/n) swore she saw the Agreste boy speed off in a car with Nathalie and the bodyguard. She also thought she saw the old chinese man she helped yesterday walk off on the sidewalk with a cane on his shoulder. </p><p>     <em>I'm probably still sleepy, besides, any old guy could own a red Hawaiian shirt</em>. (Y/n) reassured herself as she ran up the steps to the entrance of the school. She tried to recall the virtual map she saw of her school as she took out her times table. <em>Ms. Bustier's class... That should be on the second floor.</em></p><p>     Running up the stairs, (Y/n) saw the number of the classroom and slammed the door open. She could feel her cheeks warm up as the entire class and teacher looked at her direction.</p><p>     "<em>Désolé! Désolé!</em> I didn't mean to slam the door like that! I'm really sorry I'm late!" (Y/n) looked at the teacher and felt her nerves calm when Ms. Bustier gave her a smile. "You must be (Y/n) (L/n), right? I'll let this one slide since it's your first day of classes, but please try to refrain from making this a habit. Take a seat."</p><p>     (Y/n) smiled and gave her a nod. "Yes ma'am! Thank you." She softly closed the door and hurried to the open seat in the front. As she was sitting down, (Y/n) could hear the girl behind her growl. (Y/n) turned around as the girl stood up and stomped her foot. "Hey, you! Adrien is supposed to sit there!" </p><p>     (Y/n) stared at the blonde girl with confusion as Ms. Bustier cleared her throat. "Chloé , please sit down. We have to move along with the class." The girl, Chloé pouted and shook her head. "But Ms Bustier!-"</p><p>     "I won't ask again Miss Bourgeois." With a huff, Chloé plopped back into her seat with her arms crossed. She glared at (Y/n) as she muttered under her breath. "This is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!" The girl who sat next to Chloé tried to pat her shoulder but Chloé sent her a glare too. The red head slowly retracted her hand and (Y/n) turned to the guy who she sat next to.</p><p>     "What was that all about?" She whispered as Ms. Bustier began to explain the the goals for the class, semesters, and exams. The boy shrugged and gave (Y/n) a small smile. "That's Chloé, don't mind her too much. She's a real big drama queen. Try not to get on her bad side though, one call to her dad and you'll be in big trouble."</p><p>     "Who's her dad?" The boy next to her looked at (Y/n) as if she were joking. "The mayor? Chloé <em>Bourgeois</em>. Mayor André <em>Bourgeois</em>. Ring a bell?" (Y/n) sheepishly smiled and shook her head. The boy let out a small laugh. Since the teacher was busy passing out the syllabus, he was lucky enough to not get in trouble. </p><p>     "You're not from around here, are you?" The boy asked, and (Y/n) smiled and shook her head. "What gave it away?" She asked as she skimmed through her syllabus. "Well for starters, you have a pretty distinct accent." </p><p>     "What? I've been practicing on my French so much! I thought it was pretty good!" (Y/n) jokingly pouted as she put her syllabus in her backpack. The boy laughed and did the same with his paper. "I didn't exactly say it was <em>horrible</em>. It's a lot better than most of the tourists that come here over the summer. I'm just saying there's that little something about you that screams 'Not Parisian'."</p><p>     "No, you're right. A part of me knows there's something about me that screams 'I am from America!!!'. Yesterday I bumped into someone and instead of saying 'I'm very sorry' I accidentally said 'I'm not sorry'. How does one get those mixed up? Those are two entirely different sentences!"</p><p>     The boy let out another laugh and smiled at (Y/n). "You are too funny, dude! What's your name, American?" (Y/n) smiled back and brought her hand out to shake the boy's. "I'm (Y/n). What about you, Frenchie?"</p><p>     The boy gave her a sly look as he shook her hand and shook his head. "Hit me right where it hurts. I'm Nino, it's nice to meet you (Y/n)." Before (Y/n) could respond, Ms. Bustier gave Nino a pointed look.</p><p>    "Mr. Lahiffe, you should know the class rules by now. Please don't talk during my lesson. This applies to you too, Miss (L/n)." The two turned back to the teacher and smiled apologetically.</p><p>     "Yes, Ms. Bustier."</p><p>     "Yes ma'am, <em>désolé</em>."</p><p>___</p><p>     "Those of you who have P.E., Mr. D'Argencourt is expecting you at the stadium. The rest of you can head over to the library." All of the students began to pack their things and (Y/n) took out her times table.</p><p>     "Kim!" A boy wearing black angrily yelled and stood up. He looked like he was about to punch another boy wearing red, but before he could Ms. Bustier spoke up. "Ivan, what is going on?" The boy, Ivan, dropped down his fist and pointed an accusing finger at Kim.</p><p>     "It's Kim! I'm so gonna get-" Ivan brought his hand up into a fist again and before he could finish his sentence Ms. Bustier interrupted him. "Ivan, go to the principal's office." Kim and Chloé began to giggle as Ivan growled and walked away with a fist in his right hand. "What was that all about?" (Y/n) asked Nino, and he simply shrugged his shoulders.</p><p>     "I have P.E. next. What about you?" Nino asked as he slung his backpack onto his shoulder. (Y/n) shook her head as she showed the boy her schedule. "Darn, well we have science together, so I'll see you then, dude." </p><p>     (Y/n) gave him a small smile and they shared a fist bump. "See you later, Nino!" Nino walked out of the class and (Y/n) walked over to Ms. Bustier. "I just wanted to apologize again for being late and slamming the door. It won't happen again, ma'am!" </p><p>     The teacher nodded and gave (Y/n) a pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure adjusting to Paris is quite hard. You'll get the hang of it soon." (Y/n) smiled and waved a small goodbye to her teacher. As she was walking to the door (Y/n) saw Marinette and another girl waiting for her.</p><p>     "Marinette!" (Y/n) smiled, and she could feel a small blush rush up to her cheeks as the blue eyed girl gave her a hug. "Looks like we're in the same homeroom after all!" Marinette smiled, and (Y/n) turned to the brunette that was watching them.</p><p>     "Hi, I'm (Y/n)." (Y/n) put her hand out to shake, but the girl with glasses pulled (Y/n) into a hug. "I'm Alya! I'm new here, but I can tell you are too." (Y/n) let out a laugh as she recalled her conversation with Nino about her accent. <em>I'm going to have to work on that.</em> </p><p>     "Alya and I were heading to the library. Are you coming, (Y/n)?" Marinette asked as the three of them stepped into the hallway. "Of course! Where's the library again?" (Y/n) asked as she started to walk downstairs. Marinette smiled as she grabbed the girl's arm and pointed upstairs. "It's on the third floor." </p><p>     (Y/n) smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Right, I forgot." Alya slung an arm around her shoulders and grinned. "I was gonna ask the exact same thing, girl. No biggie." The three girls began to walk up the stairs as they cheerfully started talking about their schedules. </p><p>___</p><p>   "And in the 2nd issue, Majestia finally learns how to fully take control of her powers!" Alya beamed as she sat in between Marinette and (Y/n). She had her phone out and was explaining to them the lore of <em>The Amazing Tales of Majestia</em> when all of a sudden the ground began to shake.</p><p>     "I didn't know there were earthquakes in France?" (Y/n) yelped in surprise as the three of them were thrown onto the floor. "That's no earthquake! Come on!" Alya stood up and grabbed Marinette and (Y/n)'s arm. She dragged them to the front of the library where there was a monitor showing four of the outside security cameras. <em>That's awfully convenient...</em></p><p>     A large rock monster came into view in the top left camera and (Y/n) had to rub her eyes in order to make sure she wasn't still sleeping. "Did you hear that?" A student yelped as the rock monster began to scream. "KIMMM!!!"</p><p>     "What's going on? He had Ivan's voice?" Marinette asked as (Y/n) stood there dumbfounded. "This is one hell of a dream." She muttered, and Alya shook her shoulders and grinned. "Chin up, girl! This is no dream! It's as if he's been transformed into a real-life supervillain! GPS, check. Battery, check. I am so outta here!"</p><p>     "Hey! Where are you going!" Marinette called out. (Y/n) stood next the Marinette as they watched Alya run to the front doors of the library. "Where there's a supervillain, there's always a superhero close behind! No way I'm missing this!" </p><p>     "Wait! Alya are you sure that's a good-" Before (Y/n) could finish her sentence the girl slammed open the library doors and ran off. "Idea?... We should probably go home." (Y/n) told Marinette. The pig tailed girl hesitantly looked back at the security monitor. </p><p>     The rock monster picked up a car with his hands and let out another roar. "KIM!" He threw the car to the camera and the two girls flinched as the monitor  showed an error screen. "Come on, Marinette!" (Y/n) frowned as grabbed her friends arm and ran for the library door. </p><p>___<br/><br/></p><p>     "(N/n)! I'm so glad you're safe." George let out a sigh of relief. He and Skylar ran to the teen girl as she opened the door and enveloped her in a hug. "What happened? Are you hurt?" Skylar asked as she checked around the girl's body to make sure she was ok.</p><p>     "I'm fine you guys. Thanks for worrying. I don't know what happened, I just remember the kid in my class, Ivan, got sent to the principal's office and when I got to the library he was like that." (Y/n) hung her keys on the key holder and shook her head. </p><p>     "Are you tired? Hungry? I can reheat your breakfast." George asked and the girl shook her head. "I'm gonna go take a nap. I'll eat lunch when I wake up." (Y/n) gave her aunt and uncle another hug before walking back to her room. She closed the door and sighed as she plopped onto her bed.</p><p>     "Ow." She muttered, and (Y/n) sat up to see that she laid down on a small black box with red engravings on it. "Huh?" She picked it up and looked at it closely. "What's this doing here?" She opened the box and a flash of light blinded her.</p><p>     When she opened her eyes, she saw a small green hummingbird floating in front of her. "Ah!! How'd you get in here?" (Y/n) stood up and rushed to the glass door that led to her balcony and threw it open. "Shoo! Shoo!"</p><p>     "Who do you think you're shooing?" The hummingbird stared at (Y/n) with an angry look on it's face. (Y/n) stood there in shock and let out a breathy laugh. She slowly walked to her bed and laid down.</p><p>     "This is a dream. I'm dreaming. When I open my eyes it's going to 7:30 and I'm gonna eat breakfast and go to class and have a normal day." (Y/n) laid there for a while before opening her eyes again. The hummingbird was floating above her, staring her straight on.</p><p>     At a closer look, she saw that the hummingbird wasn't flapping it's wings to fly. In fact, it didn't even have wings, just a tuft of feathers that resembled a tail on it's rear end. It also had a small antenna thing coming out from a patch of feathers or hair at the crown of it's head. </p><p>     "Hey wait a second, hummingbirds aren't even native to France!" (Y/n) grabbed the tail of the bird and stared it down. It crossed it's arms and huffed. "That's because I'm not any regular old hummingbird. I'm a <em>kwami</em>, and my name is Vinca. Can you please let go of my tail so I can explain to you what's going on?" </p><p>     (Y/n) stared at the kwami before standing up. "I'm taking you to George, he'll know what to do with you." Before (Y/n) could reach the door handle, the kwami went through the girl's hand and bit her finger. "OW! What the hell was that for?!"</p><p>     "No one must find out about me! I'm serious, (Y/n)! I know you're confused but please, just let me explain!" Vinca flew up to face (Y/n). The girl looked at the kwami in frustration, but before she could say anything someone knocked on her door.</p><p>     "(N/n)? Is everything alright?" Skylar asked, and (Y/n) made eye contact with the kwami. She hesitated and let out a sigh. "Yeah! I'm good! I tried giving some of my granola bar to a pigeon outside and it bit me." Vinca furrowed her brows and (Y/n) gave her a small smile and shrugged.</p><p>     "Do you need a bandaid?" Skylar asked, and (Y/n) sat down at her desk that also doubled as a vanity. "No, I'm good! Thank you!" As she heard Skylar's footsteps grow far, she pointed at the kwami  that sat at her desk. "Explain. What is a kwami? Who gave me that necklace? Why-"</p><p>     "First of all, I am offended you compared me to a <em>pigeon.</em> Second of all, you can ask questions after I'm done." Vinca stated as she went to pick up the small black box from the bed.</p><p>     She placed in on (Y/n)'s desk and sat down next to it. "This is a Miraculous. It was created by very powerful people many years ago. This Miraculous, the hummingbird Miraculous was the first one to ever be created."</p><p>     "I am a kwami. I am spiritually tied to this Miraculous. I am the entity that uses the Miraculous as a gateway to give you powers. If it breaks or you put it away, I will no longer be able to physically show myself or grant you powers, so you <em>must</em> take care of it."</p><p>     (Y/n) stared closely at the necklace. It had a short, thin, silver chain, and a small, silver, five petal flower pendant. In the middle of the petals was a round, pink spinel gem. "Listen to me closely, (Y/n). You hold <em>a lot</em> of responsibility in your hands right now. You, along with the wielders of the ladybug and black cat miraculous are the most powerful people in all of France."</p><p>    "The ladybug has the power of creation. The black cat has the power of destruction. You have the most important job, the power of balance. When the people made the hummingbird Miraculous, they knew they would need someone who's quick on their feet and levelheaded. You're not a dictator, you're the peacekeeper in this world of Miraculous. You'll have powers that other wielders won't have, and you <em>must not</em> abuse that." </p><p>    "But why me, Vinca? I am literally the worst person to hold all that responsibility! I know nothing of Paris and I'm just a teenager!" (Y/n) huffed and buried her face into her hands. She hasn't even started being a superhero and she was already exhausted. </p><p>     Vinca flew up to (Y/n)'s and carefully pried the girl's hands from her face. "I know this is a lot to take in, but you are the chosen one for a reason." (Y/n) stared at the pink eyes of her kwami. She held her eye contact as the pieces of situation started to come together.</p><p>     "Wait, so what happened to Ivan, does that have to do with all this Miraculous stuff?" Vinca hesitated, but nodded. "The thing that transformed him is called an akuma. I am unable to share the information necessary to have you fully understand at this moment, but akumas are nasty little butterflies that can change a person to be a superhe- er villian."</p><p>     "They land on an object that holds the most emotion for the person at that time and gives them the power to transform. The only people who can change the akuma back to its butterfly state are you and the ladybug wielder. With help of your superpower, you could catch it."</p><p>     (Y/n) began to put the necklace on, at this point her frustration was turning more to curiosity. "What's my superpower?" Vinca sat on top of the box and smiled.</p><p>     "The Speeding Hum! It slows down time for a minute and gives you a window to do whatever is necessary to win the fight. After you're done using your power, you only have five minutes left before you transform. You also have to give me food so I can recharge."</p><p>     (Y/n) stood up and grinned. "What are we waiting for?! How do I transform?" The girl excitedly looked at her kwami, and Vinca looked at (Y/n) blankly and pursed her lips. "I can't tell you."</p><p>     "What?!" (Y/n) frowned and slumped back into her chair. Vinca flew up and shook her head. "I should've told you this first. Whoever wields the hummingbird miraculous must pass a trial. Because the wielder will have to deal with a lot of knowledge and power, in order to make sure they are capable, they must pass the test within a week."</p><p>     "A trial?!? I have to take an <em>exam</em> if I want to be a superhero? Why only me? Why not the other two?" (Y/n) huffed as she turned on the small TV in her room. The news channel was broadcasting the stone villian, who was on his way to the stadium. </p><p>     "As I said, you're different, (Y/n). We cannot afford to lose the hummingbird miraculous to the path of evil. There's already two lost Miraculous and one of them is on the path of evil as we speak. I know you don't understand, but when you pass the trial you will. I have faith in you, and it's not even that hard of a trial. </p><p>     (Y/n) sat still. She made eye contact with the kwami and let out a small sigh. "Okay, fine. What type of trial is this?" Vinca beamed and flew to the TV screen. "You must find the identities of the ladybug and black cat wielders. Doing so should lead you to the identity of the Guardian."</p><p>     "And they'll give me all the information I need to know?" (Y/n) asked as she stood up. Vinca smiled and nodded. "Then let's go!" (Y/n) ran to her closet and pulled out a small backpack that she used as a purse. She grabbed the granola bar from her school backpack and placed it in her purse.</p><p>     "Where are we going?" Vinca questioned as she flew into the bag. (Y/n) zipped up the bag halfway, grabbed her phone, and threw open the door of her room. "George! Skylar! A friend from school needs help! I'll be back soon, I'll be careful I swear!"</p><p>     Grabbing her house keys, she bolted out of the apartment and down the flight if stairs. "We're going to the stadium! Like Alya said, where there's a supervillain, there's always a superhero close behind." As she ran down the street towards the stadium, she could feel her kwami tense up in her backpack.</p><p>     "Are you crazy? You could get hurt!" Vince whisper-shouted. (Y/n) smiled and shook her head. "Relax, I doubt anything bad will even happen."</p><p>___ </p><p>     "Alya! Are you okay?!" (Y/n) hugged the brunette and the girl with glasses gave her a grin. "Look, (Y/n)! Real superheroes!" She pointed to the blond boy in a black suit and a girl in a red suit with black spots. "And now... Alya, the tap!" The girl yelled, and Alya rushed to the tap that connected to the hose. </p><p>     (Y/n) took a closer look at the girl in red as she broke the akumatized object. A small blush rose on her cheeks as (Y/n) realized how skin tight the girl's suit was. She couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of the girl's perfect body type. The girl in red had bright blue eyes, and very dark hair in pigtails that almost seemed blue in the light- </p><p>     (Y/n) gasped at her realization, <em>That's Marinette! Hell yeah! One out of three, already! This trial will be a piece of cake. But, why is all this Miraculous stuff is so tied in with our school? Ivan, Marinette, me... That means the blond boy might go to our school too! He might even be in the same class as us...</em></p><p>     (Y/n) felt Vinca poke her head out of the backpack. (Y/n) turned to look at her kwami as Vinca frowned. "She didn't even capture the akuma!" (Y/n) looked up and watched the black butterfly fly away. "Do you think she'll notice?"</p><p>     "She will soon enough. When an akuma isn't captured it'll multiply. And look, the cat even left his baton on the floor. Any villian could track the ladybug wielder down with that thing. I'm not  sure if these two didn't let their kwamis talk or not, but they aren't doing a very good job." Vinca ranted.</p><p>     (Y/n) picked up the baton and poked Vinca's head back into the backpack. "Be nice, Vinca. Cut them some slack, it's their first time. Also, just letting you know, you say 'wield' and 'wielder' <em>an awful lot</em>." She muttered. (Y/n) watched Marinette interact with Ivan as she looked around for the cat boy. "Excuse me miss, it seems you have something that belongs to me."</p><p>     (Y/n) turned around to be meet with vibrant green eyes. She looked at the cat boy closely and gave him his baton. Although nothing about him triggered her mind right off the bat, something in his eyes showed a sign of recognition. "Here you go, Mr...?"</p><p>     The blond smirked as he grabbed (Y/n)'s hand and bowed. "Chat Noir, at your service." He said as he placed a small peck on (Y/n)'s knuckles. The girl did her best to not burst out laughing and instead opted for a confused look.</p><p>     The cat boy slyly smiled, assuming he probably wooed (Y/n). As he stood up, his ring let out a beep. "Is your ring supposed to do that?" (Y/n) asked as she tilted her head to the side and played dumb. The boy looked at it in panic as it went down to one dot.</p><p>     "Unfortunately, yes. It sadly means it's time for me to go, <em>chérie</em>. <em>Au revoir!</em>" The boy, <em>Chat Noir</em>, sent (Y/n) a wink before extending his baton to leave the stadium. (Y/n) rolled her eyes as she turned around and began to walk over to Alya. "Are the black cat wielders always that flirty?" </p><p>     "<em>Unfortunately, yes.</em>" The kwami mocked, letting out an annoyed huff. "I was hoping this one would learn to be more humble." Vinca whispered within the bag. (Y/n) softly chuckled as she reached Alya, who was kneeling on the floor and following Marinette with her camera. </p><p>     "-get your powers? Did you get stung by a radioactive Ladybug? Oh, I've got a ton of questions to ask you, uh, miss... uhh..." Alya looked at the girl for an answer and (Y/n) placed a hand on Alya's shoulder in order to calm her down a bit.</p><p>     "Uhh... Ladybug! Call me Ladybug." (Y/n) made eye contact with Marinette and she sent her a grateful smile. "Thank you for everything, Ladybug." At that, Marinette, <em>Ladybug</em>, beamed and gave (Y/n) a confident nod. She turned around and left through the top of the stadium with help from her yo-yo. </p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     "Ladybug... Super awesome!" Alya jumped up and looped her arm around (Y/n)'s. "Did you see that?! Real life superheroes! I must be dreaming!" (Y/n) let out a small sigh as she playfully rolled her eyes at Alya.</p>
  <p>     The girl gave the brunette a small pinch on the arm and Alya jumped back in surprise. She began to beam again and grabbed (Y/n)'s arms to spin her around. "I'm not dreaming! This is the best first day ever!"</p>
  <p>     "I'm sending this to the News Outlets! They'll die for this footage of Ladybug and... Oh, <em>merde! </em>I didn't get the blond guy's name!" Alya frowned and (Y/n) held on to the brunette's shoulder in order to gain her balance back.</p>
  <p>     "His name is Chat Noir. Can you believe it? <em>Ladybug</em> and <em>Chat Noir</em>, <em>very</em> original." As soon as (Y/n) stood up straight, Alya grabbed the girl's shoulders and began to excitedly shake her. "<em>Who cares?!</em> They're <em>superheroes</em>, (Y/n)!" </p>
  <p>     "Gah! Okay! I get it!" (Y/n) felt Alya let go of her shoulders and heard the girl type on her phone. (Y/n) shook her head in order to get the last bit of dizziness out of her, and began walking to Ivan, who was still sitting on the floor.</p>
  <p>     "I'm really sorry about everything that happened today, Ivan." (Y/n) gave him a soft smile as she put a hand out to help him. Ivan looked at it hesitantly before grabbing her hand and standing up.</p>
  <p>    "Thanks, (Y/n), right?" He awkwardly smiled, and (Y/n) smiled back and nodded, happy that the boy actually remembered her name. Ivan waved to her goodbye before heading towards the exit of the stadium. </p>
  <p>     "Done! The news got my footage!" Alya grinned, and (Y/n) smiled at the girl's eagerness. "Come on, Alya. We should head home. It's been a long first day for the both of us." (Y/n) patted Alya's shoulder as the two began walking to the exit.</p>
  <p>     Alya walked with a pep in her step as she stuck her face back into her phone. "Marinette is gonna <em>freak</em> when she sees this video!" (Y/n) watched Alya amusingly, and the girl gasped in realization. "I should totally start a blog!"</p>
  <p>___</p>
  <p>     "(N/n)! There you are! We've been worried sick!" Skylar slammed open the door at the sound of (Y/n)'s keys and pulled the girl into a hug. After a few seconds, Skylar let go of her and angrily crossed her arms. (Y/n) looked at her uncle and aunt in confusion as the TV played in the background.</p>
  <p>     "We've been texting you like crazy! What were you thinking? Haven't you seen the news?" George let out a frustrating sigh. (Y/n) hung her keys on the key holder and looked at her uncle, who was pinching the bridge of his nose, in confusion. "The rock monster? But Ladybug-"</p>
  <p>     "There's more of them! Look!" Skylar pointed to the TV as she walked over to the couch. She sat down with worry as George sat on the arm of the couch in frustration. (Y/n) sat down next to Skylar and furrowed her eyebrows.</p>
  <p>     "Just as Paris is about to celebrate the appearance of our two new superheroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir, a new wave of panic is sweeping across the capital as dozens of people are mysteriously transformed into stone monsters. It's simply unbelievable."</p>
  <p>     "These victims transformed into stone beings are still like statues. The police are perplexed to what will happen to them. Will they come back to life or be frozen in time forever?" <em>When Vinca said the akuma would multiply, I didn't think she meant this soon...</em></p>
  <p>___</p>
  <p>   <em>  "Did you capture the akuma?"</em></p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     "What's capturing the akuma got to do with the other stone beings?" Marinette asked as Tikki left a plate of cookies abandoned on her desk. They stood in front of Marinette's computer that had the news channel turned on with very worried and stressed looks on their faces.</p>
  <p>     "An akuma can multiply, that's why it must be captured. If Ivan's emotions become negative again, then the akuma will turn him back into Stoneheart! He'll control all the stone beings and bring them to life to serve as his army!" Tikki flew around the monitor as she pointed to each of the photos of the Stoneheart army. </p>
  <p>     Marinette eyes widened and she felt guilt build up inside of her. "So that means... this is all my fault? I knew it! See, Tikki? I'm not cut out to be a superhero! I'm only gonna keep messing up." The girl frowned as she turned around in order to hide her frustration from the kwami.</p>
  <p>     "Keep calm. It was your first time. You're going to go back and capture Stoneheart's akuma, and do it successfully!" Tikki stood in place with a reassuring smile and waited for the girl's reaction.</p>
  <p>     Marinette stood still before turning around to face her kwami. "I can't! I told you, I'm clumsy! I create disaster all the time! I'll only make things worse for me, for you and for everyone. Chat Noir will be better off without me. I'm quitting." </p>
  <p>___ </p>
  <p>     "So I can't do anything without Ladybug?" Adrien frowned. Plagg floated in the air and looked at his owner worriedly. "Only Ladybug and the hummingbird wielder can capture akumas, and only Ladybug can repair damage caused by supervillains."</p>
  <p>     The boy looked at his kwami with confusion as he crossed his arms. "Who's Hummingbird?" Plagg froze and looked at Adrien with wide eyes. He slowly floated down to the plate of camembert as he thought wisely on what his next words should be.</p>
  <p>     "I- Uhm- I wouldn't get your hopes up, kid, they could take weeks to show up. They might not even show up at all. You have Ladybug <em>now</em> and you gotta focus on getting that akuma as soon as possible."</p>
  <p>___</p>
  <p>     "If Chat Noir can't capture the akumas, then... just find another Ladybug, or wait for that hummingbird person to show up! I told you, I'm not cut out to be Ladybug!" Tikki followed the girl to her vanity and watched her as Marinette felt guilt and sadness swell up inside her.</p>
  <p>     "I'm sorry Tikki." Marinette sighed as she began to take off her earrings. Tikki stood there in shock, but once she realized what Marinette was doing she tried to fly to the girl's hands. "No, don't do tha-"</p>
  <p>     "...Tikki?" Marinette called out, realizing she was on her own. With another heavy sigh, she grabbed the box that held the earrings and placed them back. Marinette put the box away in a drawer in her vanity and fell to the floor. "I'm really sorry, Tikki..."</p>
  <p>___</p>
  <p>     "So, what should we do?" (Y/n) asked Vinca as she ate a forkful of Mac and Cheese. The girl sighed in delight at the taste of the homemade macaroni and cheese, unlike the garbage that was Kraft Mac and Cheese that her parents would always make.</p>
  <p>     The two were sitting at (Y/n)'s vanity desk as the news continued to play in the background. Vinca popped a green grape into her mouth and shrugged her shoulders. "Until Ivan turns back into the rock monster, there's nothing we can do."</p>
  <p>     (Y/n) let out a small hum as she watched the news for a couple more minutes. She sat in silence before turning the streaming channel to her Switch and standing up. The girl walked over to the console to grab the joycons and walked back to plop back down in her chair.</p>
  <p>     "What are you doing?" Vinca muttered as she ate another grape. "Playing Animal Crossing." (Y/n) blantly stated as she opened the game. Vinca looked at the girl in confusion as (Y/n) began to run around the village and eat her bowl of macaroni at the same time.</p>
  <p>     "Don't you have homework to do-"</p>
  <p>     "Shhhhh... It's Animal Crossing time."</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Heyyyyyy, reader PLEASE don't hate me about the whole trial thing! You pass it a lot sooner than you think!</p><p>The inspiration for Vinca is actually from a photo I saw, except I imagine her eyes more pink, like the pink spinel. The art is not my art! I will credit the artist below the photo link.</p><p>Photo link: https://pm1.narvii.com/6722/fcce8c49e595c901a99fbbf61b971cfdb0927f9e_hq.jpg</p><p>Artist's Amino: https://aminoapps.com/c/miraculous/page/user/suri-tm/7gnb_PYSBf3p3rN1d7JMMk1QxZQG6dEJEg</p><p>Let me know your thoughts on the chapter! Love me some feedback! Hope you guys have a good day! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Origins: Part 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Once Marinette turned a corner, the girl turned around and ran up to the man in the Hawaiian shirt. "You!" The girl stood a couple feet away from the man as he smiled at her. "We simply must stop meeting in the rain." Y/n laughed and shook her head. "This isn't a coincidence, is it?" The kind man tilted his head in confusion, "I'm sorry?" Y/n pointed at him, and she realized at that point she probably looked like a crazy person.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Some stuff you should probably know by now:</p><p>Y/n: Your Name<br/>N/n: Nickname<br/>L/n: Last Name</p><p>Look at the notes below for the bow inspo!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     "<em>Y/n. </em>Wake up already. This is your seventh alarm. I'm going to lose my mind." A voice grumbled as it began to pull the girl's ears and slap her cheek. A loud alarm was playing on the girl's phone and Y/n sluggishly got up to turn it off before flopping back down to the bed. "Vincaaaa, stop. I don't wake up until the fifteenth alarm." The sleepy girl muttered as she turned face down into her pillow. The kwami shot up from the bed with a frown as she pinched the girl's cheek. "<em>The what?</em> No! I told you not to play for so long, but did you listen to me? No! You are going to get up, get ready for the day, and eat your breakfast." </p><p>     Y/n sat up and frowned. She looked at the kwami and glared. "Vinca—" Before she could finish her sentence the room's door swung open. Vinca hid under the blanket as Skylar smiled at her niece. "You're awake early, N/n! Who were you talking to?" Skylar asked as she opened the blinds from the glass door leading to the balcony. Y/n groaned at the bright light and rubbed her eyes, which had dark eye bags underneath them. "I was sleep talking." The girl muttered and Skylar let out a giggle. </p><p>     "George left you some breakfast crepes on the counter. I have to go pick up one of the cars from the dealers. Can I trust that you'll make it to school on time?" The woman asked, and Y/n let out a yawn as she stretched. "Mhm!" Skylar smiled and gave the girl a hug. "Go brush your teeth and eat before the crepes get cold again." She said before she walked out of the room. Y/n got out of the bed and Vinca flew out of the blanket as soon as the apartment door closed. </p><p>     "I told you to stop playing at 10, but <em>no</em> you decide to play until 1 in the morning, and do your homework until 2 in the morning!" Vinca grumbled as she flew to the kitchen. Y/n picked up her phone to look at the time, and the screen flashed 7:24 AM. "I didn't think it would take that long! It was just signing syllabuses and reading the goals for the school year." Y/n shouted as she entered the bathroom. She quickly brushed her teeth and walked back to her room to change and get ready for the day. As she packed her school backpack with her necessary text books and tablet, Vinca flew up to the girl and sat on her head. The kwami chewed on a piece of the crepe and the girl picked up her backpack and placed it on the couch in the living room.</p><p>     "Your uncle is a really good chef." Vinca smiled as she flew to the table and sat down next to the plate of crepes. "Why do you think we're in Paris?" Y/n muttered, still tired from her poor actions of last night, and took a bite out of her crepes. "I can tell by the way you gasped yesterday that you figured out who Ladybug was. Congratulations, most people usually don't get their first suspect until two or three days in." Vinca smiled as she handed the girl a cup of orange juice. The girl smiled and took a sip of the drink. "That's good to know. It wasn't hard, considering the outfit barely change her physical appearance. I mean, she could've <em>at least</em> taken her hair out of those pigtail."</p><p>     Vinca hummed as she wandered around the apartment complex. Y/n finished eating her crepes and washed her plate before grabbing two granola bars and her water bottle. "So do you come with me to school? Or do you stay here?" Vinca looked at the girl as if she were crazy. "How would I be able to give you powers at school when I'm ten blocks away in your room?" Y/n sheepishly smiled and gave the kwami a shrug. "It never hurts to ask." She muttered as she placed her water bottle in one pocket of the backpack and one of the granola bars in the other. She placed the second granola bar inside of the backpack for Vinca to eat later. </p><p>     "Come on, Vinca. The sooner I get to school the sooner I can take a nap on the desk." Y/n smirked as she kept her backpack opened and tilted it in the direction of the kwami. Vinca rolled her eyes at the young girl and flew inside of the backpack, laying down on the stack of binders. Y/n zipped the backpack closed and walked to the key holder to grab her house keys. After making sure all the lights were off, she closed the apartment door behind her and made her way to school.</p>
<hr/><p>     When Y/n arrived at school she made a beeline towards the classroom. On the way there she waved to Marinette and Alya, and as soon as she reached her seat in the front she buried her head into her arms. For a while, she was the only one in the classroom. She laid there for about 15 minutes until the classroom door opened. "Hey, Y/n! You okay?" Nino called out and the girl lifted her head from the desk with a jump. She sighed when she saw it was Nino and gave him a high five. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired. I was gonna ask you what happened at the stadium. You said you had P.E., right?" Nino sat down next to the girl and nodded. </p><p>     "I was in the locker room when it happened. All I remember was leaving the room and hearing people scream. I didn't know what was happening, but I knew I had to run like my life depended on it. It wasn't until I got home and saw the news when I figured out what had happened." As Nino was telling his story, more and more students started trickling into the classroom. Y/n was about to reply, but the doors slammed open and filled the classroom with noise. </p><p>     "Could I have your autograph, please?"</p><p>     "Adrien, can I have an autograph, Adrien, I'm a huge fan!"</p><p>     Y/n looked at Nino with confusion as the two looked at Chloé and the blond boy walking into the classroom. "Who's he—" Y/n started to ask Nino, but she felt a hand wrap around her arm and throw her to the ground. "This is your seat, Adrikins. I saved it for you. Right in front of <em>me</em>!" Y/n looked up and saw Chloé throw her backpack next to her on the floor. "What the hell is your problem?" Y/n glared at the girl as she grabbed her backpack. "Chloé, that wasn't really nice." The blond boy muttered as he walked over to Y/n to give her a hand.</p><p>     Y/n grabbed his hand with hesitation, and looked up at the boy with green eyes. She let out a gasp as she recognized him. "You're that Agreste boy! From the mansion!" Y/n smiled. The boy awkwardly smiled and put his hand out to shake. "Yeah, I wasn't aware my father had visitors, sorry. I'm Adrien." Y/n shook his hand and saw Chloé roll her eyes at her. Y/n furrowed her brows as she looked back at the green eyed boy. "I'm Y/n. You're friends with Chloé?" Adrien nodded, not seeing what the problem was, and Chloé pushed the girl away from him. "Get lost. Adrien and I have some catching up to do."</p><p>     "But that's my seat!" Y/n huffed. She was making her way past Adrien to sit back down but Chloé pushed her again, but harder. Y/n felt herself lose her footing as she almost fell to the floor, but Adrien grabbed her arm before she could fall. "I said, get lost, Cheeseburger." Chloé sneered, and Y/n could feel her cheeks warm up as she ripped her arm away from Adrien's hands. "The fact that you think calling me a <em>food</em> will offend me is laughable. Not only do you have <em>no</em> sense of style and lack a likeable personality, but you also seem to lack a brain." Y/n glared at the girl as she slung her backpack around her shoulders and walked to the aisle on the right of the class. Nino looked at her in shock and gave her a thumbs up as she passed him. Y/n shrugged at him as she made her way to the third row. </p><p>     She sat down on the empty seat behind Chloé's minion, Sabrina if Y/n remember correctly, and watched as the two of them started place gum on Marinette's seat as Adrien briefly introduced himself to Nino. Y/n glared at the girls and stood up to stop them, but Adrien beat her to it. When he was trying to take the gum off the seat, Marinette and Alya walked in. "Hey! What are you doing?" Marinette frowned as her and Alya ran up to the boy on the floor. Adrien looked up at Marinette in surprise as he let go of the piece of gum. "Uhhh... I..." </p><p>     When Chloé and Sabrina began to laugh, Marinette rolled her eyes and placed a napkin on the gum. "Okay. I get it. Good job, you three. Very funny." Marinette and Alya sat down and Adrien stood up, shaking his head. "No, no, I was just trying to take this <em>off!" </em>Marinette paid no attention to him as she stared at the front of the classroom. "Oh really?" Marinette glanced at the boy and Sabrina and Chloé began to laugh again. "You're friends with Chloé, right?" Adrien frowned as Chloé and Sabrina walked back to their seats. "Why do people keep saying that?" He asked and Marinette turned her head back to the front of the class with a huff. Adrien walked back to his seat and Chloé gave him a smirk. "Now do you see what I mean about respect?" </p><p>     <em>As if anyone had an ounce of respect for you.</em> Y/n glared at the blonde. She looked at the empty seat next to her and frowned. <em>I know someone usually sits here...</em> Y/n checked around the class to make sure no one was looking at her as she opened her backpack. She was met with a frowning Vinca sitting on her textbooks. "I don't like that girl." Vinca muttered. Y/n held in a laugh and hummed in agreement. "Imagine spending a class with her. Are you okay?" Vinca nodded, and Y/n zipped up her backpack as the last handful of students walked into the classroom.</p><p>     Y/n looked back at Adrien, trying to recall what about him was so familiar. She already concluded that she knew him from the mansion, what else was there about him that triggered her senses? Y/n did her best to scan the boy, but it was very hard to do so when she could only see the back of his head. Sighing, she slumped down in her chair, giving up. She'll figure it out eventually. Soon enough, Ms. Bustier walked into the class and began to do attendance. Y/n watched Adrien as he bolted up and rose his hand to yell "present" after Ms. Bustier called his name. Her eyes were immediately drawn towards the boy's hand as the silver ring on his ring finger reflected the light into her eyes. <em>I'll have to follow him the next time there's an akuma attack.</em> Y/n thought to herself as she buried her head into her arms again. </p><p>     Funnily enough, a few seconds after laying her head down the room began to shake. She jumped up from her seat as the stone monster from yesterday burst into the class. Y/n watched Adrien slip out of the class and grabbed her backpack to follow him. She tried to be as sneaky as possible as she followed the boy to the locker room. She slid into the room before the door closed and hid two rows away from the blond. "My first day of school and I don't even make it past roll call." The boy muttered, and Y/n stood still against the locker. Her breathing staggered as she heard another voice talk. "A day off? Now that's what I'm talking about!"</p><p>     The girl furrowed her brows as the voice talked, unable to recognize anyone from the school with that voice. "Oh, no no no no. We've got homework to do. Plagg, claws out!" Before she knew it a light began to fill in the room. She briefly closed her eyes, feeling a sense of déjà vu. When she opened it she heard footsteps run towards the door. She poked her head from out of the aisle in order to see where Adrien was going, but instead was met with a Chat Noir opening the doors of the locker room and running away. Y/n stood there in shock before throwing her backpack off her shoulders and opening it. Vinca, who was eating some of the granola bar, smirked. </p><p>     "Congratulations, Y/n. You found out who the black cat wielder is." The girl smiled as she began to drink out of her water bottle. "I didn't think it'd be so easy!" She smiled, but immediately frowned. "It's <em>way</em> too easy to figure out who these heroes are. Please tell me there's some sort of magic preventing people from doing so." Her immediate thought was Alya. She was quickly becoming very close friends with Marinette, and the fact that she now runs the Ladyblog would give her so much time to quickly connect the dots.</p><p>     "There is. With citizens, you have to have certain proof or manage to convince your brain to say it, <em>Adrien is Chat Noir,</em> or <em>Marinette is Ladybug.</em> There's magic in the Miraculous that kind of runs in the background in order to keep the identities secret. It kind of erases people's brain?" Y/n looked at the kwami with wide eyes, and Vinca shook her head, realizing her mistake. "Okay, not erase their brains, but brain washes, kind of. Example, if you're eating lunch with a friend at a restaurant and run away to transform when there's an akuma attack, that friend could have their doubts on where you were. But, before those doubts can lead to any revelations, your Miraculous will send brain signals or something to slowly push any wandering thought to, 'It was just a coincidence'. That's why you'll see people almost believe any lie you say if they ask where you went after the akuma attacked. Understand?"</p><p>     "How come it didn't work on me?" Y/n asked as she put away her water bottle in the backpack's pocket. Vinca laid down in the girl's lap and closed her eyes. "That type of magic isn't very strong on other Miraculous wielders. Because your Miraculous has that power too, it acts sort of like a force field to that stuff. You have nothing to worry about, our Miraculous is the strongest when it comes to brainwashing people and not being brainwashed by other Miraculous holders. We can't afford to get caught, so it'll be your job to be careful, too." Y/n hummed as she took out her phone to check the time. She was met with multiple messages from Alya asking her where she went and if she's seen Marinette. "<em>Merde,</em> let's go, Vinca. There's still an akuma out there, and Alya almost got hurt." Vinca flew into the pocket of Y/n's pants and the girl ran off.</p>
<hr/><p>     "Alya! Are you okay?" The girl frowned as she reached her brunette friend. They greeted each other with a hug, and Y/n shook her head. "You need to be more careful." Alya let go of the girl with a grin. "You will not believe it, girl! Ladybug totally just saved me! We need to go follow them for my blog." Alya grabbed the girl's arm and began to ran in the direction of the battle. "What?! You almost got hurt! Aren't they all the way at the Eiffel Tower?" Alya nodded, and (Y/n) let out a sigh. The two ran towards the Eiffel Tower. It took them a long time, and when they reached there Y/n fell to the floor out of breath. </p><p>     "Where's Ladybug?" Alya asked the police officers. They explained to her what happened in the battle and Y/n groaned. "We <em>ran</em>, for <em>forty seven</em> minutes, just to miss them by three minutes?" Alya looked at the girl and smiled. She helped Y/n off the floor and pat the girl's back. "I'm really sorry, Y/n. Let's go have some lunch." Y/n perked up at the idea of some food, but frowned as she realized she left her backpack at school. "I don't have my wallet. And I left my house keys in my backpack at school."</p><p>     "No biggie, girl. I got you covered!" Alya smiled and linked arms with Y/n. The girl frowned as Alya dragged her to a café. "Alya, I can't—" The two walked into a café, <em>Le Café au Coin de la Rue. </em>Y/n pouted as Alya pat the girl's back. "Nonsense, girl! I shouldn't have dragged you like that for nothing." The two sat down to eat as they talked about the heroes and Alya's quick growing blog.</p>
<hr/><p>     "So, by the time we got to the Eiffel Tower, it was all over. I'm way bummed." Alya told Marinette, as them and Y/n talked outside of the school. "We got to eat some lunch together though. It was a nice little café. We should go again with you next time, Marinette." Marinette smiled and the three of them continued to talk as a fancy car stopped at the front of the school. "That'd be nice! Sorry you guys had to go through that, but don't worry! You'll get your scoop eventually."</p><p>     "You're right. Next target: Ladybug, an exclusive interview!" Alya grinned, and the three of them began to walk inside the school. "Ooh. Sounds exciting." Marinette smiled as they started to walk up the stairs. Y/n lightheartedly rolled her eyes and nudged Alya with her elbow. "As long as we don't run for an hour to catch her." Alya and Marinette laughed, and the brunette shrugged her shoulders with a grin. "No promises. Oh, wait! Even better: finding out who's really under that mask."</p><p>     Marinette raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "Uh-huh. Good luck with that one." The three of them stopped in front of the classroom as Y/n crossed her arms and furrowed her brows. "I get that it'd be nice to see the hero under the mask, but don't you think that's kind of pushing it? Ladybug probably has enough on her hands balancing hero life and personal life, if you expose her like that she'd live through hell with Hawk Moth attacking her every second of the day. Not to mention he'd probably go for her family and friends." Marinette looked at Y/n with wide eyes. She gratefully smiled at her and Y/n felt a blush reach her cheeks as she smiled back at Marinette. Alya sighed as she opened the classroom door. "I guess you're right. Doesn't hurt to dream, though."</p><p>     The three of them walked into the class, and Marinette and Alya sat down where Chloé and Sabrina sat yesterday. Y/n placed her backpack on the seat next to Ivan, who she greeted with a a wave, and ran to Nino's desk with a smile. "Hey, Nino!" The girl smiled as she leaned on the wall across from him. "Y/n! Where'd you go yesterday? You and Adrien ran off and missed everything!" Y/n awkwardly laughed and shrugged. "I got really scared and hid in the locker room. It's okay though, Alya filled me in on everything that happened here. We tried to run to the Eiffel Tower and see Ladybug and Chat Noir in battle, but we totally missed them."</p><p>     Nino laughed and rolled his eyes as Chloé, Sabrina, and Adrien walked into the class. "You guys really thought that would work?" Y/n shrugged and pointed to the brunette, who was watching Marinette stand up to Chloé and Sabrina. Adrien was sitting down and watching Nino and Y/n's conversation. "<em>Alya</em> dragged me because she thought we could make it in time. It's all good though because she bought me some lunch afterwards." Nino nodded as he glanced over to the green eyed boy. "Hey, Y/n, Adrien is pretty new to school stuff, too. Do you mind if we put him in a groupchat with us?"</p><p>     Adrien looked at Nino with confusion as he heard his name in the conversation. Y/n raised her eyebrows in surprise, before shrugging. "Sure, we all gotta start somewhere right?" Nino nodded, and he and Y/n shared a high five before the girl waved at Adrien and walked back to her seat. She saw Adrien turn around and try to wave at Marinette and the blue eyed girl huffed and looked away from him. "Marinette, he's telling the truth, you know." Y/n whispered, leaning over the desk in order to get close to the girl, and Marinette and Alya turned around to face Y/n. "Really?" Alya asked, surprised. Y/n nodded, and Marinette began to look conflicted. "I was going to tell you after class, but you already know what happened... I was watching the whole thing. He really was just trying to take the gum off."</p><p>     Marinette shook her head and sighed. "Then he should've said so in the first place. There's no special reason for him to stand up for Chloé like that if he isn't just another one of her minions." Alya and Y/n shared a glance as Marinette turned to the front of the class. Y/n sat back up and turned to face Ivan. "Hello, Ivan. <em>Ça va?</em>" Ivan turned to face Y/n and gave her a small smile. "Hey, Y/n, <em>Ça va.</em>" He responded, and Y/n gave him a small nod. Ms. Bustier walked into the room to start attendance and, for the first time in the week, Y/n had an uneventful day in class.</p>
<hr/><p>     "You should definitely come over this weekend. We could invite Alya, hang out, explore Paris, and maybe make some macarons together." Marinette smiled, and Y/n started to blush as she smiled back to Marinette. "That sounds great, Marinette. Just text me what time and I'll let you know!" Marinette nodded, and the two girls watched the rain fall. Y/n reached into her backpack to grab her water bottle, and pouted as she realized she left it in the locker room. "Hey Marinette, I'll be right back. I left my water bottle at your locker." </p><p>     Marinette nodded and Y/n jogged over to the locker room. As she was entering, Adrien was leaving. They waved at each other with a smile, and Y/n hurried to the bench closest to Marinette's locker. She picked up her water bottle from off the floor and jogged back over to the entrance of the school. As she was about to exit, she watched Marinette and Adrien stare into each other's eyes as Adrien handed Marinette his umbrella. Y/n furrowed her brows and stopped herself from frowning at the interaction. The two stood there for a while and Y/n's eyes wandered to a figure standing in the street with an umbrella in hand, watching Marinette and Adrien intently. The umbrella closed in on Marinette and Adrien laughed. The girl opened the umbrella back up and smiled at the green eyed boy, as he walked down the steps. Adrien began walking to his car and waved at Marinette. Y/n heard him very muffly say, "See you tomorrow." </p><p>     "Uh… see you to…mo… tomo… Haha! Whoa, why am I stammering?" Y/n heard Marinette say after Adrien stepped into his car, and a small red kwami flew from out of her purse. "Hey! I think I might have an idea!" The kwami said as it snuggled up to Marinette's cheek. "I should probably check on Y/n." Marinette muttered, and Y/n panicked. She backed away from the door a couple steps, and walked forward, pretending to just reach be reaching it. "Tikki, hide!" She heard Marinette whisper-yell as she opened the door. "Hey, where'd you get the umbrella?" Y/n asked the girl with a soft smile.<em> I should join the drama club with these acting skills.</em> </p><p>     Marinette began to blush as she looked at the handle. "Adrien gave it to me." Y/n bit her lip as she nodded. She avoided Marinette's gaze by looking at the sidewalk, and her mind reminded her to take a closer look of the figure with the umbrella. Her eyebrows furrowed as she saw a familiar red shirt. She gasped as a revelation hit her, and the chinese old man lifted up his umbrella enough to see his face and gave her a smile. "Marinette, you should go home. Skylar texted me, she's on her way, so there's no point in staying. See you tomorrow in school, bye!" Y/n rambled as she began to push Marinette off the steps of the school and in the direction of her house. "Uhh, okay? See you tomorrow?" Marinette slowly began walking home and Y/n stood in the rain, waving her a goodbye.</p><p>     Once Marinette turned a corner, the girl turned around and ran up to the man in the Hawaiian shirt. "You!" The girl stood a couple feet away from the man as he smiled at her. "We simply must stop meeting in the rain." Y/n laughed and shook her head. "This isn't a coincidence, is it?" The kind man tilted his head in confusion, "I'm sorry?" Y/n pointed at him, and she realized at that point she probably looked like a crazy person. "Don't you play the dumb card! You know Marinette and Adrien! That's why you were staring at them five minutes ago! If you know what I know, then this is no mistake! I knew something was off when I saw you walking away from the school with your cane on your shoulder!" Y/n grinned as the man smirked, a glint of accomplishment shining in his eyes.</p><p>     "<em>That's</em> why you liked my response! When I told you I couldn't take you to the café! Not because you wanted to kidnap me, but because you though I was special, or something like that!" Y/n began to laugh with joy, and the man stood there, looking at her with glee. "<em>You're the Guardian.</em> You're the Guardian!" The girl dropped to her knees and slung her backpack off her shoulder. She opened it and pulled out her Kwami. "What's the big deal? I'm getting wet down here!" Vinca huffed, and Y/n pointed to the short old man with a grin. "I found him, Vinca! I found the Guardian!" Vinca turned to face the old man, and smiled as her pink eyes met his brown ones. "You chose the right person, Master Fu." A voice whispered, and Y/n beamed when she saw a small green kwami fly out from the man's shirt pocket. The chinese man smirked as he walked over to Y/n and held his umbrella over her as well.</p><p>     "Indeed I did, Wayzz. Come, Y/n. We have much to talk about. Besides, we wouldn't want you catching a cold."</p>
<hr/><p>     "Thank you." Y/n whispered as Master Fu gave her a cup of tea. On the way to Master Fu's <em>Aura Healing Clinic</em>, the girl texted Skylar and told her she was checking out the drama club. Skylar believed her, showing a lot of excitement, so Y/n knew she had about two to three hours to spend. Once they reached the building, the kind man took her to a back room and arrived with a plate of cookies, two tea cups, and a blanket for the shivering girl.</p><p>     "I'm very surprised, Y/n." Master Fu smiled as he sat down across the girl. The two were sitting on mats on the floor, with a medium sized circle table in between them as Vinca and Wayzz flew around them playfully. "Most hummingbird holders don't find their first suspect until three days in. They'd usually find me on the sixth or seventh day. You surprised me on your abilities to find all three of us, one after another." </p><p>     "Thank you, Master Fu. When Vinca told me I had to pass a test, I was freaking out. Once I started though, the pieces started to fall in place." Master Fu nodded, and Y/n happily took in her surroundings. "Question, has there been anyone who hasn't passed the test? What happens when the week is over with?" Y/n turned to the man with curiosity as Wayzz and Vinca made their way to the plate of treats on the table. Master Fu hummed as he set down his cup of tea. "There has been very few, but yes. The good this is that you are not one of them, and that will be what we'll focus on today." Y/n nodded as she set her cup of tea down. "Please, tell me what I need to know." </p><p>     With a smile, Master Fu stood up and walked to the old record player sitting on a dresser and opened it up. Y/n's eyes widened as the man pulled out a black box with red engravings and a handful of papers that looked very old and fragile. "These, are the Miraculous." Master Fu sat down next to the girl, and Y/n frowned. "Master Fu, you don't have to show them to me—" The old man shook his head and placed the box between them on the table.</p><p>     "These are precautions I must take, Y/n. I'm still very young, only 186, but if there were ever an emergency, you would have to be the one to take over as Guardian." Y/n's eyes widened at the man's words. <em>He's 186?!</em> "You had to do this with every hummingbird wielder?" Master Fu nodded as he set down the small stack of papers to the side. He began to open the box filled with the Miraculouses, and Y/n held in a gasp. "Woah." She muttered as she looked at the different variations of jewelry. "There are different tiers when it comes to Miraculous. These are the third tier Miraculous. They are usually only handed out when in a time of dire need."</p><p>     He began to close all the small drawers and pointed to the second tier, which had three missing Miraculouses. "These are the second tier Miraculous. As you can see, the peacock and the butterfly miraculous are missing. The reason the turtle one is missing is quite obvious." The old man chuckled as he lifted up his hand to show the girl his bracelet. Y/n smiled and stared at the two remaining Miraculous.</p><p>     The one with the fox tail was a necklace too, but it was much larger with a thick, gold chain. The other one was a comb that had a bee on it. Her eyes wandered back to the two empty spaces and she frowned. "What happened to the peacock and butterfly Miraculous?" Master Fu blankly shook his head as he pointed back to the box. "That will be a story for when we have time on our hands. For now, let's focus on the first tier Miraculous."</p><p>     Y/n traced the empty spaces as she tilted her head in confusion. "A three way Yin Yang? What does that mean?" Master Fu smiled as the girl picked up her tea. "This is actually called a Yin Yang Yuan symbol." He pointed to the black swirl that had the Chat Noir symbol at it's head. "Yin is known for being associated with the shadows, cold, and the trough of the wave." He then pointed to the red swirl that had the Ladybug symbol. "Yang is known for brightness, passion and growth." He then continued to point at a teal swirl, which had a five petaled flower, and Y/n could only assume that it was the hummingbird's symbol. "Although Yin and Yang manage to balance each other out, Yuan is basically the void, the unseen, the nothing-there in which the elements of Yin and Yang play out their constant drama."</p><p>     "So I'm the underdog middle man?" Y/n asked, and Master Fu shrugged as he began to close the box. "Not technically, but in a sense, yes. You will definitely be working more in the background while Chat Noir and Ladybug work the front lines. Make no mistake, the amount of work you'll have on your hands quite often goes underestimated." Y/n pursed her lips as she looked at the old man with an eyebrow raised. "What kind of work?" Vinca flew up to the girl's face with Wayzz and smiled.</p><p>     "For one, you must keep tabs on Ladybug and Chat Noir in order to make sure they are always at balance. Although we're all on the same team, there's been moments in history where one hero decided they wanted more glory than the other, and with help from us any rising tension would be diffused." The small teal kwami smiled as Wayzz nodded behind her. "That's why it was so important for you to find them as their civilian forms. Although they may not know their secret identities, they'll definitely feel an attraction, thanks to their Miraculous. Even as civilians they must be at balance." Vinca concluded before flying back to the cookie plate. </p><p>     "That also means you'll have to keep in touch with their kwamis." Wayzz informed the girl. Y/n furrowed her brows and glanced at Vinca, who nodded at his statement with her mouth full of cookie. "How do I do that?" Y/n asked as she looked back to Master Fu. The man smiled as he carefully handed the girl the fragile papers. "This is every bit of information there is to know about the hummingbird Miraculous." The girl scanned through the pages, which she assumed were ripped out from a book judging by its ripped side, as Vinca flew over to the girl's head and sat on top of it. Y/n frowned as she saw they were in a language that she could not understand.</p><p>     "Oh, yes, sorry. I forgot about that." Master Fu smiled as he sat down next to Y/n and read the pages to her. The girl eagerly listened, each fact being more compelling than the last, as they reached the section that talked about her weapon and superpower. "I have a bow and unlimited arrows?! Cool!" Y/n grinned as she looked closely at the drawing of her bow.</p><p>     It was quite large, the colors were green, teal, gold, and white. The limbs of the bow were in a shape of wings. One of the drawings had the bow on the woman's holster in a way that made it look like she had wings. Upon further reading, Y/n realized that she had many different varieties of arrows, from bombs to ziplone arrows with ropes tied to the ends to the akuma purifying arrows, and they all summoned when the string of the bow would get pulled back. Vinca smiled at her wielder's fascination as she began to lay face down in the girl's hair.</p><p>     Y/n continued looking through the pages as they reached the section on the kwami summoning. Master Fu read the page as it explained thoroughly how to use the Miraculous on both ends as a portal. In order to open that portal, Y/n would have to be in a state of complete and utter calm. He continued to read and the girl learned that she must do it when she is not transformed in order to not exhaust her kwami and risk getting her sick. Master Fu explained a certian meditation method that most hummingbirds first used in order to reach that level of calm. <em>It's all about balance.</em> The book heavily underlined. The message of needing to stay in control was constantly being repeated throughout the pages.</p><p>     "Can I try it out with Wayzz?" Y/n asked, and the kwami and his master looked at each other before nodding. Y/n stood up and walked to the other side of the room. She sat down in a burmese position and closed her eyes. She honestly felt a little silly, but she knew within time she'd be able to reach the state of calm without the need of meditation. For now, this will do. She felt herself breath in and out slowly as her mind started clear out any unneeded information. All she needed now was to focus on opening the portal. She sat there, focusing her energy on her Miraculous in order to open that portal. Her mind called for Wayzz to come through, and before she knew it she felt a burst of energy as some light filled the room. She opened her eyes and saw Wayzz come out of her Miraculous. </p><p>     "Thats so cool!" Y/n grinned as Wayzz floated in front of her. The turtle kwami patted her head before smiling at her. "Now focus on opening the portal to send me back." Y/n nodded and closed her eyes again. She emptied her brain and felt another shock of energy from her Miraculous. She opened her eyes and watched Wayzz fly out from Master Fu's bracelet. "Try not to do that too much, Y/n. It does drain a lot of your energy. You also don't want to have the kwamis on your side if Ladybug or Chat Noir needs them. Nor do you want them to find out you can do this." Master Fu stood up and walked over to Y/n to hand her the tea. She grateful smiled as Vinca flew over and handed Y/n a cookie. </p><p>     "Thanks for everything, Master Fu." The girl smiled as she drank her tea. Wayzz and Vinca started to fly around the room again as Master Fu began to put away the Miraculous box. Y/n looked at the time and gasp as she read 5:30. "Vinca, we need to go!" The girl stood up and chugged the rest of her lukewarm tea. Vinca frowned as she flew to the plate of cookies and shoved a couple of cookies into her mouth. Wayzz and Master Fu smiled as the girl threw on her backpack and Vinca flew inside. "Goodbye, Master Fu! It was lovely to see you!" The girl waved as she ran out the door. Thankfully the rain had stopped. Y/n texted Skylar and George that she was on her way home as she ran to the nearest metro station.</p>
<hr/><p>     "Does this mean I have to limit my time on Animal Crossing?" Y/n whispered as she looked at her kwami. It was currently 11 pm, and Y/n was laying in bed with her Switch in hand. Vinca, who was trying to sleep, gave the girl a small nod. The girl continued to play before sitting up and gasping. "Master Fu never told me how to transform!" Vinca groaned and stuck her head face down into the pillow. "You say 'Vinca, Let's Fly' to transform and 'Let's Land' to de-transform. Now go to bed." Y/n frowned as she put away her Switch and laid back down on her bed. </p><p>     She stared at the ceiling, afraid to make any noise, as thoughts formed in her head. The girl opened her mouth ask the kwami a question, but Vinca beat her to it. "I know what you're going to ask and the answer is <em>no.</em> You can't fly. You kind of glide when you fall, but that's the closest you'll get." Y/n pouted as she turned to her side. The room was quiet for a minute before Y/n let out a small huff, "So there's no chance <em>at all</em> that we could ever learn how to fly?"</p><p>     "No, Y/n. If you don't go to sleep in the next ten minutes, I'm throwing your Switch out the window."</p><p>     "No! Okay okay, I'll sleep. Just, not my Switch!" </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm really sorry I totally skipped through the second Stoneheart battle! I really wanted to have you meet Master Fu already instead of dragging the Orgins into another part. I hope you enjoyed the chapter nonetheless!</p><p>Bow inspo (not my art): https://i.imgur.com/70jGkyw_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&amp;shape=thumb&amp;fidelity=medium</p><p>When I was writing the chapter, I was trying to find the name for the triple Yin Yang sign, and there's two different names for it. Yin Yang Yong and Yin Yang Yuan. I decided to use Yin Yang Yuan simply because I could find more information on the meaning of Yuan. Here's the article/thread I read if any of you are interested! </p><p>https://www.ithou.org/node/1901</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. A New Hero</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Interested in joining the drama club?" A deep voice called out from behind Y/n. The girl jumped and squeaked as she made eye contact with the tall Latino boy. Judging by his height and voice, the boy had to have been in a grade or two above her. He gave her a smile as the girl nervously laughed. "Uh, no? Just looking, haha."</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Some french texting slang you should know!</p><p>MDR: mort de rire - (Literal translation: dying of laughter/Text translation: LOL)<br/>A+: à plus tard - (Translation: see you later)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     "Good morning, N/n!" Skylar shouted from the kitchen as Y/n walked out of her room and into the bathroom. The girl gave her aunt a hum in response as she closed the bathroom door. After washing up and getting ready for the day, she walked to the kitchen table and sat down with Skylar. "George made some breakfast bagels." Skylar told the girl and Y/n tiredly walked over to the coffee pot.</p><p>     "Hey, hasn't it been three days already? Did Nathalie email you Mr. Agreste's decision?" Y/n muttered to her aunt, who was hunched over some papers and her laptop. She sighed as Y/n walked back to the table with her fresh cup of coffee. "Yeah... It's just, the times are so irregular. Mr. Agreste is offering to pay a lot, but I'd have to go in to work at 8 in the morning, and he decides when I'm free to go home. There's another company here called <em>Clair et Foncé</em>, and they're offering a decent amount and steady work hours. They're flexible with vacation days too, but they seem like such a boring company. I don't know, it's tough."</p><p>     Skylar sighed as she got up and walked to the coffee pot. Y/n frowned at the woman's distress as she took a bite of her food. "Well, whatever choice you make will be a good one. Hey, did you know the Agreste boy goes to my school?" Y/n grinned and Skylar looked at her with wide eyes. "Really? Did you figure out what his name was?" </p><p>     "Yeah, his name is Adrien. He's in my homeroom. He's an okay guy, just kind of awkward." Y/n muttered before finishing her bagel. Skylar walked back down to her seat and smiled. "You should get going, your water bottle and granola bars are on the counter." Y/n placed her empty plate and mug in the sink and gave Skylar a quick hug before running to her room to get her backpack. Y/n smiled at Vinca, who was inside one of the pockets of the backpack, and grabbed her stuff off the counter. </p><p>     "I'll see you later, Skylar!" Y/n yelled as she grabbed her keys from off the key holder. She waved at her aunt before closing the apartment door and making her way out of the complex. "So, Vinca, what do I do when there's no akumas to fight?" Y/n whispered as she went down the flight of stairs.</p><p>     "What type of question is that? Go on patrols, fight robbers and bad guys in alleyways. The stuff heroes usually do." Vinca muttered from inside the pocket. Y/n furrowed her brows at the kwami's words and huffed. "I didn't ask for your sass, it's not like this superhero stuff happens often you know." Y/n heard Vinca huff as she reached the lobby doors. "Anyone should have common knowledge on superheroes. Look at Spider-man, Batman, or even Black Widow. All of those comics pretty much set the ground rules for hero work."</p><p>     Thankfully, the street wasn't too busy. Y/n sighed as she made her way to school. "So you're saying I should buy guns and web shooters and batarangs and beat the living shit out of russian spies, meth addicts, and supervillains that belong in mental asylums." Vinca let out a small giggle, and Y/n smiled at the kwami's reaction. "Your bow and arrows should be enough. Just make sure the city of Paris is safe, the beating up isn't always necessary." </p><p>     Y/n checked her phone. There were a couple of texts from the groupchat she was in with Nino and Adrien, but the groupchat with Marinette and Alya was blowing up. They were telling the girl to hurry up because Marinette had some "news" she wanted to tell them. "Okay, one last question," Y/n muttered as she put her phone away, "Would you say I'm more like Hawkeye or Green Arrow?" </p><p>     "Neither. They're both middle aged white men with quote on quote 'tragic backstories'." Y/n furrowed her brows. "Wait a second, how long have you been in hiding? How do you know about all these superhero stuff?" Vinca let out another laugh, and Y/n looked at her bag with confusion.</p><p>     "Superhero comics have been around for a long time Y/n. The version of these heroes you're thinking of may not be the same I'm thinking of. The last time we were around was in the 1970's. Not because of Hawk Moth, but because France was getting a bad impact on it's economy and people were getting mad. It was a whole thing about politics and America, and Ladybug, Chat Noir, and I were there to make sure people were okay at night. My wielder was really big on America's comics. Her uncle was one of the artists at Marvel, and her cousin was one at DC. They'd always send copies and she had thousands of DC and Marvel comics lying around. We'd read them together whenever we could."</p><p>     "Awwww, sounds like you two had a good connection. I'll have to update you on all of the movies, and I'll have you know Marvel is a thousand times better than DC, thank you very much." Y/n smiled as she crossed the street. Vinca hummed from inside the backpack as Y/n saw her school come into view. "I'll take your word for it."</p><hr/><p>     As Y/n reached the school she waved at Nino and Adrien, who were standing on the stairs leading to the entrance. The two boys waved back and Y/n walked to the side of the stairs where Marinette and Alya were hiding. "Hey Alya, Marinette. What's the news?" Y/n asked as she made her way to them. "Marinette is acting crazy, look at her!" Alya whispered to Y/n.</p><p>     Sure enough, Marinette was peaking her head around the staircase with a grin and heavy blush. Alya and Y/n followed her line of vision and smiled at each other with a knowing look, "You like Adrien, don't you?" Alya asked. Marinette jumped and turned around to look at them with surprise. "Gah! What? Nooooo...... Is it obvious?"</p><p>     "A little, yeah." Y/n softly nodded. Alya let out a laugh as the warning bell rung. "We should get to class." Marinette muttered, and Alya threw her arms around the bluenette's shoulders. "This conversation is <em>so</em> not over." Alya muttered, and the three started to go up the stairs. "Hey, Y/n! Come here." Nino called out from at the top of the stairs. Y/n faced Marinette and Alya with a grin as she waved at them. "I'll throw in a good word for you." She whispered with a wink. Marinette turned a bright pink as Y/n turned around to meet up with Adrien and Nino.</p><p>     Apart of her was jealous of Adrien. All he did was give the girl an umbrella and now Marinette was head over heels for him, but Y/n knew she couldn't let that get in between their friendship. "Hey guys, what's up?" Y/n asked as the three of them walked into the school. "Nino says he just got a gig somewhere." Adrien explained, and the boy with glasses excitedly nodded. "Yeah! It's a birthday party. My mom spread the word that I was DJ-ing to some of her friends and I got a text last night! We just finished up the details like three minutes ago." </p><p>     "That's awesome, Nino! You'll have to DJ for my birthday party next." Y/n smiled at the boy as the three of them walked up the stairs. "Sure thing! What about you, Adrien? Want some awesome party music from the best DJ in town? When's your birthday?" Nino asked the blond boy as they entered the classroom. "Actually, next Friday."</p><p>     "Woah, really?" Y/n asked as the two boys sat down at their seats. She felt a little awkward standing there, but Adrien looked at her and shrugged. "I doubt my father would allow me to go out or have a party, though." The boy muttered. Y/n looked at him sadly as Nino pat his back. "We have a whole week, I'm sure me and Y/n could convince your dad by then." Y/n nodded in agreement.</p><p>     "We could invite the whole class too! Marinette, Alya, Kim, Alix, Juleka, Marinette, Ivan, Max, Rose, Mylene, Marinette, Nathaniel..." Y/n smiled and the two boys looked at her in confusion. "You said Marinette like three times." Nino lightly laughed and Adrien smiled at her. Y/n awkwardly smiled and she silently cursed herself for the awful tactic. She was hoping to get Adrien to think of the girl, but instead Y/n just looked dumb. </p><p>     "That'd be nice of you guys, but that's pretty close to impossible." Adrien halfheartedly shrugged as he took out his tablet. Nino and Y/n glanced at the boy and gave him a sad smile. "Nothing's impossible, Adrien. I mean think about it, if it's possible for a butterfly to turn people into monsters while we wait for two teens in skintight suits to save us, then we'll manage to convince your dad one way or another." Y/n gave Adrien a smile as she walked back to her seat. She waved a hello to Ivan as she sat down and opened her backpack. She gave Vinca a small smile as she took out her tablet to take notes.</p><p>     "Good morning class." Ms. Bustier smiled as she entered the classroom. The class stood up from their seat and greeted Ms. Bustier with a smile. As everyone sat back down, Ms. Bustier stood at her desk. She took the attendance and smiled when she was done. "Alright, it seems like we'll be good for the day, so let's start a bonding exercise." The students who had her before nodded with a smile, but Alya, Adrien, Y/n, and a couple of others stared at the teacher with confusion.</p><p>     "For those of you who are new to my class, every day before the lesson I will have to students come to the front of the class and give each other a complement. It's a great and simple way to make connections with your classmates, and hopefully it could make someone's day. Marinette, Y/n, will you please come to the front of the class?" </p><p>     The two girls stood up and walked to the front of the class. Marinette smiled at the girl as Ms. Bustier stood between them. "Why don't you start first, Marinette?" Ms. Bustier smiled, and the girl happily nodded. "Although you haven't been here for long, I think you're a really nice and wonderful person! I'm happy to call you my friend!" Y/n felt her cheeks heat up at the compliment, and Marinette gave her a grin.</p><p>     "I think you're very kind and really pretty, I'm glad I met you when I first got here or I would've been scared out of my mind here at school! Especially because of my broken French." Y/n rambled as Marinette giggled at the memory of them meeting. The two girls shared a quick hug and they walked to their seats as Ms. Bustier smiled. "That was wonderful girls, thank you! Now, please take out your textbooks and take notes as we read chapters one and two."</p><hr/><p>     "Hey, Marinette. What are you going to do for lunch?" Y/n asked the girl as the two walked out of the History class. Marinette gave the girl an apologetic smile as she pointed to the library. "Alya and I have to study for an Algebra assignment. Maybe tomorrow the three of us can have lunch at my place." Y/n nodded and waved goodbye to the girl as she walked up the stairs to the library. Y/n pulled out her phone while walking down the stairs and texted the groupchat with Adrien and Nino. </p><p>     <em>hey anyone want to go out for lunch? </em></p><p>     <em>Adrien 📸: Sure, I'm leaving my geography class right now. Where do you guys want to meet up? </em></p><p>
  <em>     Nino 🎧: lemme talk to my history teacher first. you guys can meet up out the class and we can walk to a cafe or something. its near the drama room</em>
</p><p>
  <em>sounds good to me</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Adrien 📸: You two are animals, who texts with no grammar? Auto-correct exists for a reason y'know.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    Nino 🎧: MDR</em>
</p><p>
  <em>whatever model boy. A+</em>
</p><p>     Y/n smiled at herself as she put her phone away. She gave herself a mental pat on the back for remembering the text slang as she walked up to the history classroom. The girl glanced at the drama room door as she peaked her head through the window. As some students ate lunch at the tables, she looked around the large class' setup. The tables and chairs were facing the farthest wall that held up a curtain with some lights at the front of it, and the opposite wall had the teacher's desk, a table next to it with a control board that connected to the lights at the curtain, and a chalkboard. </p><p>     "Interested in joining the drama club?" A deep voice called out from behind Y/n. The girl jumped and squeaked as she made eye contact with the tall Latino boy. Judging by his height and voice, the boy had to have been in a grade or two above her. He gave her a smile as the girl nervously laughed. "Uh, no? Just looking, haha." The boy held his hand out to shake, "I'm Richie Crotteau." He smiled, and Y/n shook his hand. "I'm Y/n L/n. If drama is an after school club then why are people having lunch in there?" </p><p>     "The shows and acting exercises are the after school activities. Any drama classes during the day are the technical theater electives, where they learn the backstage stuff like lights and sound. Ms. Daigrepont lets any of her students eat lunch here." Richie explained. Y/n looked back at the classroom with interest and let out a small hum. "How come you know so much about the class?" She asked as the boy lightly chuckled. "I'm the drama club president." He smiled as he stood next to her. Y/n looked at Richie in surprise and he slowly opened the door. "You should check us out, Y/n. We'd love to have you on the team." He winked before walking inside. </p><p>     "Who was that?" Adrien asked as he and Nino stood a couple feet from Y/n. The girl shrugged and walked up to the boys, "That was the drama club president." She explained and the three of them made their way to the school's exit. "Dude, we should get to pizza place. I'm so hungry." Nino groaned as he pulled out his phone to search for pizza restaurants nearby. Adrien smiled and pat the boy's shoulder. "That's your fault for not eating breakfast." Nino frowned and his stomach let out a small grumble as Adrien and Y/n began to laugh.</p><hr/><p>     "Skylar, I'm home!" Y/n called out as she placed her keys onto the key holder. Skylar waved a small hello to the girl as she held her sketchbook and stared at her laptop screen. "How was school?" The woman muttered and Y/n shrugged as she placed her water bottle in the sink. "Pretty good, had a whole day again. What about you? Who did you end up deciding on?" The girl asked while putting a bag of popcorn in the microwave. Skylar smiled at Y/n as she set her pencil down and looked up at the girl. "I decided on working with Mr. Agreste. It was financially the best choice. I start work tomorrow." Y/n nodded and gave her aunt a hug. "You work for the best designer in Paris, how cool is that?" The girl grinned as she walked over to the microwave and took out her popcorn. "I'm gonna be in my room doing some homework. Let me know when George gets home." Skylar nodded and went back to work in her sketchbook. </p><p>     As Y/n closed the door, she took off her backpack and set it down on the ground. The girl opened the front pocket and Vinca flew out with a yawn. "Leave your phone with me next time, I was bored out of my mind." The kwami muttered. Y/n apologetically smiled and sat down on the floor, "I have some time, should I try to make contact with Adrien and Marinette's kwamis?" Vinca pursed her lips in thought before slowly shaking her head. "It's a bit early. I would do the kwami summoning at night when they're falling asleep." Y/n frowned as she pulled out her tablet and textbooks. "I'll just do my homework now then." The girl muttered as she got up to sit at her desk and pulled out a small speaker to play some music.</p><hr/><p>     After finishing her homework, Y/n played Animal Crossing on her Switch for thirty minutes. She heard the front door open and put the Switch to charge as she opened the door to her room. "Hey, N/n! How was school?" Her uncle smiled at her. Y/n gave him a hug and grinned. "It was good! How was work?" George hung his keys on the key holder and walked to the kitchen table to place a kiss on Skylar's cheek. "It was good, it was very slow at the hotel today so Chef Césaire sent me home early." </p><p>     "Chef Césaire? That last name sounds familiar..." Y/n muttered under her breath as she walked over to her uncle. George opened the fridge and took out some ingredients. "She's the head chef at the hotel. I think she has four daughters, and one of them goes to your school." Y/n watched the man prep for the meal and George smiled at her. "Wanna help me cook some fettuccine alfredo?"</p><p>     "What is with you and pasta this week?" Skylar laughed from the table. Y/n let out a small giggle as her uncle shrugged. "Next week it'll be Asian food." The girl joked and the family laughed as George and Y/n began to cook.</p><hr/><p>     "May I be excused?" Y/n asked as she placed her plate in the sink. The two adults nodded and Y/n smiled as she grabbed a plate of grapes. She waved a good night to her relatives and closed her door. "Vinca?" The girl muttered, and the kwami looked up from the girl's laptop on the bed and flew over to the plate of grapes. "What are you watching?" Y/n muttered as she grabbed her laptop and placed the plate of grapes on her bedside table.</p><p>     "Some Spider-man cartoons. Why'd they reboot him so many times? There's the comics for a reason, to follow the story. Why is there eight different cartoon series?" Y/n laughed as Vinca shoved some grapes into her mouth. She turned off her laptop and scoffed, "Wait until you hear about the movie reboots. They were a real roller coaster of emotions." Y/n smiled as she put away her laptop. Vinca frowned at the girl's words before continuing to eat the grapes.</p><p>     "Can we go on patrol tonight? How does it work? Is my suit going to be skintight? Because I saw how tight it was on Adrien and Marinette and I personally don't feel comfortable with-" </p><p>     "Can I eat in peace? Slow down with the questions! <em>Yes</em>, we can go on patrol. I'll get sucked into the Miraculous and give you the strength to do the hero work, but everything is up to you. I'll still be with you though, in your mind. The suit you wear will be what you desire deep down, so we'll see whether or not it'll be tight." Vinca rambled while eating the grapes. Y/n huffed as she laid down in her bed. The kwami finished her last couple of grapes and flew over to Y/n's head."You ready?" The girl looked at Vinca with a grin and stood up. "Hell yeah I am!"</p><p>     "Vinca, Let's fly!" </p><p>     Suddenly a light flooded the room. Y/n opened her eyes and gasped as she looked at herself in her full length mirror. Her hair was pushed back in a ponytail with a ribbon, and a few strands of hair was framing her face. The ribbon had three small feathers sticking out from it, two teal and one green. The teal mask covered the upper half of her face and was pointed a little at the nose to resemble a bird beak. </p><p>     Her Miraculous looked different. The thin silver chain of the necklace turned gold and thicker. The flower pendant was larger with pink petals and a white spinel gem in the middle. The necklace outlined the green hood, which was currently down. Around her neck and collar, the suit material was red, and connecting to the red and going down her stomach the material was white. The rest of the material around her body was green, and the material around her arms was teal. She had green gloves that reached her mid forearms and teal thigh high boots with green soles. </p><p>     Her bow was on it's holster on her back. The way it was placed made it look like she had wings. "It sucks that I can't fly." Y/n angrily muttered as she opened her balcony door. She pulled her hood over her head as she stared at the night sky. Y/n took a deep breath before jumping off the railing and towards the building below her. "Shit, I really didn't think this through—" The girl yelped as she failed on her landing and slipped. Her chin scratched against the the roof's floor and Y/n grumbled. The girl stood up and glanced at her apartment complex, contemplating whether or not she should go back.</p><p>     <em>You are </em>not<em> going back, you've worked hard to get to this point and you aren't stopping now.</em> A voice, which sounded a lot like Vinca, in Y/n's head whispered. The girl felt a surge of confidence from those words. She began to ran and jump across the buildings with only a few mistakes and missteps. Y/n smiled to herself as she jumped up to the top of the hotel George worked at, <em>Le Grand Paris</em>. Y/n admired the view of the city for a while before jumping off the building and gliding to a smaller one. </p><p>     As she passed by a building she heard a cry for help from the alleyway. The girl stopped running and turned to the direction of the scream. She pulled out her bow and hesitated. <em>I've never done archery or even held a bow before...</em> She thought to herself as she looked into the alleyway and saw man towering over a young, scared girl on the building's wall. <em>Relax, take a deep breath. As you bring the string back, think of the arrow you want to manifest and aim. The rest should come naturally.</em> Y/n did as the voice said and took a deep breath through her mouth. Her finger touched the arrow rest and she thought of a normal arrow. As she brought her hand back to the bow string a small glow appeared as the arrow took shape. </p><p>     <em>That's so cool.</em> Y/n thought to herself as she aimed her arrow to the man's shoulder. She didn't want to accidentally stab the man, just trap him on the wall. She took another deep breath and shot the arrow. The arrow went through the man's shirt and held the man to the building. "What the hell!?" The man shouted in surprise as he tried to take the arrow out of the wall. Y/n fell down into the alleyway and punched the man in the face. The girl grabbed her purse back from the man and looked at Y/n in surprise before running off. "You're gonna pay for that little girl." The man growled as he yanked the arrow out of the wall. The man tried to lunge himself at Y/n, but she ducked and tripped him. She shot another two arrows through the man's shirt and held him to ground. She extended the grip on the bow and dialed the police. </p><p>     The dispatcher picked up and Y/n gave them the street address before running off into the night. "I just stopped a robbery!" Y/n laughed to herself as she jumped off a building onto another roof. The girl sat down on a tall building and admired the view of the Eiffel in the background. Y/n smiled to herself as she continued to patrol around Paris for another hour.</p><hr/><p>     "Good job, Y/n. You didn't accidentally stab anyone." Vinca muttered to the girl entering the room as the kwami laid on the girl's bed. Y/n had snuck into the kitchen to grab a plate of leftover pasta and heated it up for Vinca. "Hope you like fettuccine alfredo." Y/n smiled as she set the plate and fork down on her desk. Vinca shrugged, "I'm not picky. Chat Noir's kwami, though, is a different story." The kwami giggled to herself as she began to eat the pasta. Y/n sat down on the floor and got in her Burmese meditation position. </p><p>     "Can I try summoning Adrien and Marinette's kwamis?" Y/n asked the small creature, and Vinca shrugged. "Don't keep them here for too long, it'll waste your energy and you won't want to get up for school tomorrow." The girl smiled and closed her eyes. She focused her energy on her Miraculous and focused on opening the portal for the ladybug kwami. Y/n called for the kwami to pass through and felt a surge of energy as a red light shone in the room. The girl opened her eyes and saw the kwami come out of her miraculous. As the red kwami turned around, it looked at Y/n with wide eyes. "Y/n?!"</p><p>     "Hello! Tikki, right?" Tikki smiled and nodded. The kwami turned to Vinca, who was still eating on the desk, and grinned. "Vinca! It's been so long!" Tikki giggled as she gave Vinca a hug. Vinca happily hugged back and nodded. "Is Marinette sleeping?" Vinca asked, and Tikki softly nodded. "She fell asleep about fifteen minutes ago." Vinca continued to eat as she pointed at her wielder. "We're lucky that Y/n here is a night owl." </p><p>     Tikki giggled and Y/n sheepishly smiled. "Are you going summon Chat Noir's kwami too?" Vinca asked the girl, and Y/n nodded before going back into her meditation position. She focused on opening the portal and called for the kwami to pass through. After feeling the surge of energy, she opened her eyes to see a small green light illuminate the room and the black kwami yawned. "I hate going through the portal." He complained, and Vinca and Tikki giggled.</p><p>     "Hi, Plagg." Y/n smiled, and the black kwami turned around in shock. "It's only been three days?! You're already summoning kwamis?" He asked the girl and Y/n nodded. "You should've been more careful in the locker room." Plagg grumbled and flew over to the plate of food. "Do you have any camembert by any chance?" He asked, and Y/n shook her head no. "Maybe next time."</p><p>     Plagg groaned and flopped down next to the two other kwamis. "Is Adr—" Before she could finish the name, Vinca flew over to shut the girl's mouth and Tikki covered her ears. "They aren't supposed to know each other's wielders. We can talk to them personally about it, but unless they figure out themselves who the wielders are, we must keep our mouths shut." Vinca explained, and Plagg lazily nodded in agreement. "Oh, sorry." Y/n frowned, and Tikki reassured the girl with a smile. "That's okay, you didn't know."</p><p>     "Well, what I was going to ask was, is Chat Noir asleep?" Plagg shrugged and ate a noodle. "I was sleeping before you summoned me." Vinca frowned at him. "Didn't you see him when you passed through the ring?" Plagg pursed his lips before hesitantly shaking his head. "I probably should've done that." Vinca let out an exasperated sigh as Tikki pat her back. Y/n smiled at the three kwamis before her phone began to blow up. She checked it and saw Alya spamming their groupchat. "Tikki, I should send you back. Alya might wake up Mar— LADYBUG!! Haha, <em>Ladybug</em>, with all this texting."</p><p>     Tikki giggled and nodded at the girl. "I'll see you very soon, Y/n!" Y/n gave the kwami a high five before going into her meditation position and opening the portal to send Tikki back. Y/n let out a small sigh as the red kwami left. Plagg ate another noodle and smiled, "Hey, this is actually kind of good!" Vinca frowned and pushed the black kwami away from her plate. "This is <em>my</em> food Plagg, I need to re-energize." Plagg frowned and huff. "You wake me up from my nap and force me to starve? You're so rude, Vinca." Y/n giggled at the two's interaction as she read her messages from the groupchat. </p><p>     <em>Alya 🔋: GUYSSS</em></p><p>
  <em>     Alya 🔋: WAKE UP</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Alya 🔋: GUYSGUYSGUYSGUYSSSS</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Alya 🔋: WAKE UPP ALREADY OMG</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Alya 🔋: PLEASE WAKE UP YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Alya 🔋: GUYSSSSSS YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT SOMEONE JUST EMAILED TO THE LADYBLOG!!!!!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Marinette 🥖: alua, its misnoght. wat cud pissibly b mor impirtamt tan skeep?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>marinette queen of typos</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Marinette 🥖: in SLEEPU y/n smh</em>
</p><p>
  <em>haha sleepu</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Alya 🔋: MDR!! But, GUESS WHATTT!!!!!!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>alya no ones gonna guess</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Marinette 🥖: plz tell is alredy so i can gi nack tp sleep</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Alya 🔋: SOMEONE SENT IN FOOTAGE OF A NEW SUPERHERO!!!! THEY TOOK THIS LIKE AN HOUR AGO</em>
</p><p>     Alya sent an attachment and Y/n walked over to the two bickering kwamis. "Hey, look. Someone recorded me while I was on patrol." Plagg and Vinca flew over to the phone as the girl pressed play. The camera followed Y/n as she jumped off the rooftops. <em>"Do you see that? It looks like another hero!"</em> The person in the video chirped. The video ended as Y/n jumped and disappeared behind a tall building. "Is that how you got that bruise on your chin?" Plagge asked. Y/n gasped and looked at herself in the vanity. She frowned as she saw the large red scrape on her chin. "Oh, <em>merde.</em>" She whispered to herself. Her phone dinged and she went back to the groupchat.</p><p>     <em>Marinette 🥖</em><em>: r u sure thats a reel hero? mayb its like sumone ho waz inspird by ladybun and chst noit</em></p><p>
  <em>okay i have my fair share of typos but yours are giving me a literal headache marinette</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Marinette 🥖: sorrt &lt;3</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Alya 🔋: The suit reminds me a lot of a Broad-Tailed Hummingbird. Maybe we'll see her next time there's an akuma!!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Marinette 🥖: huh i gyess ur riggt. xan we galk abot this tomrow im stil sleppy</em>
</p><p>
  <em>sure marinette go to slepp</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Marinette 🥖: i will figth u </em>
</p><p>
  <em>do that after you go to slepp</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Marinette 🥖: &gt;:((((</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Alya 🔋: MDR!!!! </em>
</p><p>     "Y/n it's very late. You should go to bed now if you want to wake up on time tomorrow." Vinca told the girl as Plagg ate the last fettuccine noodle. Y/n smiled at the black kwami as Vinca frowned. "Get him out here before I throw my fork at him." The teal kwami muttered and Plagg gave her a pat on the back with a grin. "Until next time, Vinca, Y/n. Don't forget my camembert!" Y/n snickered and went into her meditation position. </p><p>     As Plagg left, a green light lit up the room, and Y/n began to feel heavy and tired. "I told you not to keep them here for long." Vinca frowned as Y/n began to change into her pajamas. "That wasn't long, though! That was probably like fifteen minutes max." The kwami laid down on the bed and shook her head. "Fifteen minutes <em>is</em> long. That was only your second time doing that, Y/n." The girl frowned and picked up the empty plate and fork. She snuck out to the kitchen to place the dishes in the sink and tiptoed back to her room. </p><p>     "No late night Animal Crossing." Vinca frowned as Y/n closed the door and went to grab her Switch. The girl furrowed her brows and turned to face the kwami. "But—!" Vinca shook her head and pointed to the bed. "You transformed and went on patrol for the <em>first</em> time, and you maintained <em>two</em> kwami's forms for <em>fifteen</em> minutes. <em>No</em> Animal Crossing. Go to bed." Y/n huffed as she turned off the lights and got into the bed. "I only got to play for thirty minutes today." The girl angrily muttered before falling into a deep sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Duuuuude articles are so interesting to me skfnrknridm. If you wanna know what happened in France during the 1970's I'll leave an article link below! As an American with a horrible schooling system, it intrests me how these types of stuff happen and we know nothing about it! I'll stop nerding out, and sorry I geeked out with the superhero stuff, I'm a very big Marvel fan! Hope you guys like the chapter! </p><p>https://uramericansinparis.wordpress.com/2010/12/15/france-in-the-1970s-–-a-time-of-decline-doubt-and-anti-americanism/amp/</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Bubbler</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Y/n nervously smiled as the boy began to drag her in the direction of Adrien's house. "Nino, are you sure this is a good idea?" Nino shrugged and let go of the girl. He pulled out his bubbles and smiled. "You act as if you're scared of the dude." Y/n awkwardly laughed at the accusation and shook her head. "Oh, you know... He's only a millionaire who's the most powerful designer in Paris and my aunt's boss." Nino chuckled and blew some bubbles in Y/n's direction. "Relax, we'll be okay."</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     "Y/n, wake up! You haven't even finished wrapping your present!" Vinca slapped the girl's cheek as the first alarm on her phone rang. Y/n groaned and tiredly put her pillow over her head. Last night the girl went out on patrol until 2 in the morning, so naturally she was very tired. "Vincaaaaa, it's like 7 am. Just let me sleep." Y/n muttered to the creature from under the pillow. The small kwami yawned and shook her head. "I'm just as tired as you, but you have responsibilities, Y/n." </p>
<p>     “Okay, but you can <em>sleep</em> while I suffer all day in class." The girl muttered as she got up to sit down at her desk. Vinca frowned as she sat down on the girl's shoulder. "You shouldn't have been out so late then." Y/n grabbed her four items and sloppily wrapped the three small pins with wrapping paper. She glanced at Vinca with an eyebrow raised as she grabbed the small stuffed animal and the three boxes and placed it in the small gift bag with tissue paper. "Who else was going to stop that drug cartel?" Y/n asked as she let out a big yawn and fell back down on her bed. </p>
<p>     Before Vinca could protest, a small knock was heard on the girl's door. "N/n, it's George." The girl hummed and the door opened slightly. "Skylar and I are leaving for work. Please make it to school on time. I made some french toast, it's in the microwave for you." Y/n muttered a small okay and the door closed. She heard the two adults leave the apartment and let out a small groan as the kwami slapped her cheek again. "Y/n, don't you <em>dare</em> fall asleep again." Vinca muttered and the girl pulled her blanket over her head. "Just give me five minutes..."</p>
<hr/>
<p>"I'M LATE!!" Y/n screamed as she jumped up from her bed and looked at the time. She only had twenty minutes to get dressed, eat, and make it to school on time. Vinca shook her head as the girl ran into the bathroom, and the kwami flew to the kitchen to grab the water bottle and granola bars off the counter. Vinca placed the items in the side pockets of the backpack and flew inside the front pocket as the girl ran into the kitchen to place her breakfast into plastic tupperware. After shoving Adrien's gift in her backpack, Y/n ran out of the apartment and ran towards her school while eating her breakfast.</p>
<hr/>
<p>     "Here you go Adrien, happy birthday! Sorry I didn't get to give this to you in the morning." Y/n smiled as she made her way to the blond boy. He and Nino were standing at the bottom of the stairs at the school's entrance. The girl handed him the gift and Adrien smiled. "Watching you burst into the class ten minutes late with maple syrup all over your face was a good enough present for me." The blond boy smirked and Nino bursted out laughing as the girl turned a deep shade of pink.</p>
<p>    "So, what's the news on the party?" Y/n asked the blond boy, and Adrien frowned. He sadly shook his head no and Nino huffed as he blew some bubbles. "Dude, seriously? Has your dad always been such a downer? You'd think he'd remember what it was like to be young and wanna party a little." Y/n frowned at the boy and elbowed Nino in the arm. "<em>Nino</em>, you can't say stuff like that."</p>
<p>     "No, it's okay. I'm pretty sure he was a downer back then too. Well, at least I tried." Adrien shrugged and Nino wrapped his arm around Y/n and the blond boy. "It's your b-day, dude! Insist! You know what, Y/n and I are gonna have a little convo with your pops." Y/n looked at the boy in shock, "We're going to <em>what?</em>" Adrien softly chuckled at her reaction and shook his head. "Don't waste your time. He's not gonna change his mind."</p>
<p>    Before Nino could protest, Marinette stumbled up to the three from behind the stairs. "Ah!" She yelped as she regained her balance and hid her gift behind her back. As Nino let go of Adrien and Y/n, the girl looked at the direction from where Marinette came from and made eye contact with Alya. Alya gave Y/n a wink and Y/n smirked as she moved her attention back to Marinette. "Um, he— Hey!" Marinette waved to Adrien. The blond boy glanced at Y/n and Nino in confusion before smiling back at Marinette. "Hey."</p>
<p>     "Marinette, what's that behind your back?" Y/n smiled after a long moment of silence. Marinette awkwardly grinned as she avoided eye contact with the blond boy. "I, uh, I wanted to, umm, gift you a make— I mean, gift you a give I made— I mean..." While Marinette was trying to talk, Chloé walked up behind her and yawned. "Out of the way." The blonde said while rolling her eyes and pushing the bluenette away with a frown. As Marinette fell to the ground, Chloé began to smile sweetly and throw herself onto Adrien. "Happy birthday, Adrien! Mwah!" Chloé placed a giant kiss on Adrien's cheek as Y/n held back the urge to roll her eyes. Adrien awkwardly smiled and took Chloé's arms off his shoulder. "Yeah, thanks Chlo."</p>
<p>     "Did you get the gift I sent you?" Chloé smiled, and Adrien looked at her with skeptical eyes. "Uh, no." At that, the blonde pretended to be annoyed and Y/n softly scoffed at the bad acting. "What? Oh, those delivery guys. I bet it was too heavy so they had to go back and get another guy to help. Those slackers." Chloé wrapped her arms around Adrien's shoulders again with a smirk. "I'll make sure they get it to you by tonight. Mwah!" Chloé gave Adrien another kiss on the cheek and left, humming happily to herself. Adrien quietly grumbled to himself and Y/n snickered. Nino playfully punched Adrien in the arm as the blond smiled at his two friends.</p>
<p>     Soon enough, a white limousine pulled up to the curb. "Gotta go. Photoshoot." Adrien waved at his friends with a frown. Y/n placed a hand on his shoulder and gave Adrien a sad smile. "Happy birthday, Adrien." The boy gave her a small grin as he closed the limo door. Nino smirked as he wrapped an arm around Y/n's shoulder. "Looks like we've got some business to take care of with Adrien's old man."</p>
<p>     Y/n nervously smiled as the boy began to drag her in the direction of Adrien's house. "Nino, are you sure this is a good idea?" Nino shrugged and let go of the girl. He pulled out his bubbles and smiled. "You act as if you're scared of the dude." Y/n awkwardly laughed at the accusation and shook her head. "Oh, you know... He's only a millionaire who's the most powerful designer in Paris <em>and</em> my aunt's boss." Nino chuckled and blew some bubbles in Y/n's direction. "Relax, we'll be okay."</p>
<hr/>
<p>     As the two reached Adrien's mansion, Nino lightly pushed the girl towards the door bell. "You ring it." Nino muttered. Y/n furrowed her brows and huffed as she grabbed the boy's hand. "You dragged us here, <em>you</em> do it." Before Nino could protest, she rung the doorbell with his finger. The camera popped out from out of the wall and zoomed in on Nino's face. "Uh, hi." Y/n did her best not to snicker as Nino awkwardly waved and explained that he was here to talk with Adrien's dad. Before he could finish his sentence, the gates opened, and Y/n pushed Nino inside. </p>
<p>     When they reached the house, they were met with Nathalie standing near the door. She led them to the bottom of the staircase as Y/n awkwardly smiled at her and Nino nervously played with his bubble wand. "He'll be here in a minute." Nathalie said, and soon enough Gabriel Agreste stood at the top of the stairs. "Adrien's not home yet." He said, and Y/n did her best to not cower at the man's gaze. "Uh, I was coming to see you, du—" Y/n's eyes widened and she elbowed Nino in the arm. The boy realized his mistake and sheepishly smiled. "Sir."</p>
<p>    "Me?" Gabriel said with his eyebrows raised. Y/n softly nodded and Nino grinned. "Yeah, that's right. Look, I know you don't want Adrien to have a party, but it's his birthday, dude—" Y/n quietly groaned as she elbowed Nino again, and the boy let out a small yelp as Y/n looked at the man timidly. "<em>Sir.</em> It's all he wants." Gabriel glared at the two teens and raised his palm. "No. That's final." Y/n softly sighed and nodded. She turned around to leave, but Nino grabbed her arm and shook his head. "That's messed up. He never screws up in class, he always does whatever you tell him: photoshoots, fencing, Chinese, piano—" </p>
<p>     Y/n frowned and placed her hand on Nino's shoulder. "<em>Nino,</em> if Mr. Agreste says no, then we have to respect that." Nino shrugged her hand off his shoulder and turned to Y/n with furrowed brows. Before he could rebuttal, Adrien quietly walked into the house. "Nino? Y/n? You're here." Y/n smiled at the boy and waved. Nino grinned at Adrien as the blond boy walked up to them. "Anything for my best bud." Nino turned back to Gabriel with a smile. "Show some awesomeness, du— I mean, sir, please."</p>
<p>     Y/n felt anxious as the man glared at Nino. Adrien let out a small sigh and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Forget it, Nino. Really, it's fine." Nino began to get angry again, but before he could speak, Gabriel spoke up. "Listen, young man. I decide what's best for my son. In fact, I've just decided that you're a bad influence and you're not welcome in my house ever again. Leave now!" Y/n's eyes widened as Nino and Adrien gaped at him. Y/n took a step forward with a frown. "Sir, we didn't mean any harm!"</p>
<p>     "Father, he was just trying to do something cool for me." Adrien protested, pulling Y/n back in fear that Gabriel would ban her too. "Goodbye." Nathalie said as she stood in front of Nino and led him to the door. Adrien and Y/n turned to follow, but Y/n stopped in her tracks at Gabriel's next words. "You stay here, Miss L/n." Y/n's eyes widened in fear and Adrien gave her a reassuring smile before following Nino out the doors. </p>
<p>     "Yes sir?" The girl shyly spoke up, making eye contact with the man. "Over the last week you have proven yourself to be a good influence and friend to Adrien. Today was a mistake. Make sure it won't happen again, or you won't be the only one facing the consequences. I'd hate for your aunt to be punished for your actions." Y/n frowned and nodded, hating the fact that she was wrapped around the older man's finger. Gabriel turned to leave, but stopped in his tracks to turn to the girl. "If you really wish to do so, I will allow you give Adrien company before his next lesson."</p>

<p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     Y/n's eyes widened at the man as he walked away. "Uh, thank you, sir!" Gabriel nodded and walked back into his room. Nathalie gave the girl a small smile as Adrien walked back into the mansion. "Y/n, you're still here?" He asked, and Y/n nodded. "I'm sorry about Nino." She quietly whispered, Adrien frowned and shook his head. "Nathalie, may we be excused to my room?" The assistant nodded her head and Adrien led the girl up the stairs.</p>
  <p>     "He left really mad. I'm kind of worried for him." He muttered as they reached the door to his room. Y/n walked in and placed her bag on the floor. "I'm really worried for him too... But I'm sure he'll be okay. Besides, if anything happens Ladybug and Chat Noir will save us." The girl gave the blond a reassuring smile and Adrien let out a small chuckle as he set his bag down near his desk. Y/n took a second to admire the large room and smiled when she made eye contact with a small black kwami. "So, did you like your gift?" The girl asked as she looked at the bag in his hand. </p>
  <p>     "I haven't opened it yet." Adrien sheepishly smiled and Y/n rolled her eyes. She sat down on the boy's large white couch and patted the seat next to her. "What are you waiting for?" Adrien smiled as he sat down next to Y/n. The first thing he pulled out was a small black cat plush. Adrien furrowed his brows and Y/n felt her face pale at the mistake."This is really cute and all, but why a black cat?"</p>
  <p>     "Erm— Uh, well, back in America I had a black cat named... Barney! He died, but uhm your eyes remind me of his, so black cat it is! Hehe..." Y/n nervously giggled as Adrien gave her a confuse smile. "I'm glad I remind you of your dead cat." Y/n frowned and crossed her arms. She looked away from the boy and scoffed. "If you don't like it I will <em>gladly</em> take it back—"</p>
  <p>     "No! No, I love it." Adrien shouted as he held the plush cat close to him. Y/n glanced back at him with a smirk and faced him. <em>Thank god for these acting skills.</em> "That's what I thought. Keep looking, there's more." Adrien took out the three small boxes and smiled at the sloppy wrapping paper. Y/n felt her cheeks heat up with embarrassment as he easily teared off the paper from the first box. "A flower pin?"</p>
  <p>     Y/n rolled her eyes as Adrien inspected the enamel pin closer. "That's a periwinkle flower. My aunt says it symbolizes blossoming friendships, so I thought it'd be nice." The blond smiled as he opened the second pin. It was the Avengers symbol, and Y/n beamed. "That used to be my personal one. I bought that maybe like a year or so ago. You and Nino said you'll binge watch the movies with me, so I'm giving this to you as a reminder and because I <em>know</em> you'll love them." Adrien smirked as he placed the small pin down. "How do you know I won't like the other one better? DC, was it?"</p>
  <p>     "<em>Barf.</em> I am <em>not</em> gonna let you. Bruce Wayne could never compete with Tony Stark. I'll admit the Batman games are good, but the movies could <em>never</em> compare to the MCU, and that is a fact." Y/n ranted with her nose scrunched up as Adrien laughed. The girl smiled at the blond boy as he grabbed the last present. She smirked to herself as Adrien's face paled at the sight of the pin. "Camembert cheese?" Y/n held back a giggle and slowly nodded. "Hate to break it to you bud, you smell <em>a lot</em> like cheese. Like, I can tell you try to mask it with all the perfumes, but it's a real heavy cheese smell."</p>
  <p>     Adrien groaned and threw his head into his hands. While he was muttering to himself, something along the lines of <em>"It had to be stinky, smelly camembert cheese"</em>, Plagg flew up to the girl and smiled. Y/n panicked as Adrien began to get up and she smacked the kwami away from her. Adrien looked at her with confusion, and Y/n shrugged as she awkwardly laughed. "Thought I saw a bug. Anyways, I'm not saying it's <em>bad...</em> Just a little strong, that's all." Adrien frowned even harder, and Y/n sighed to herself as she pat his back. </p>
  <p>     "I have twenty minutes before I have lunch, then I go off to my Chinese lesson. Do you wanna play some Mario Kart?" Adrien muttered as he got up from his seat and walked over to his Switch. Y/n beamed and nodded as the blond boy gave her a controller. She smirked at him as the screen turned on. "You are going <em>down</em>, Agreste." She muttered to him as they began to choose their characters.</p>
  <hr/>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     "Are you sure you don't want to stay and have lunch with me?" Adrien asked as Y/n began to walk to the front door. The girl shook her head and smiled at the boy. "I really don't want to intrude. I have some homework I need to finish anyway." Adrien sighed and gave the girl a hug before she left through the door. "Thanks for today, Y/n." He called out to her before she left. The girl nodded and waved at him. "Happy birthday, Adrien."</p>
  <p>     As Y/n walked out to the courtyard, she saw all of her classmates setting up balloons, a snack table, and a DJ booth. "Alix, what's going on?" Y/n whispered to the redhead as she connected some cords to the speaker. "The Bubbler is making us set up a party for Adrien." Y/n's eyebrows furrowed, and as she turned around a large boy stood in front of her. "Nino?"</p>
  <p>     "It's The Bubbler now, dude. Why don't you help set up for Adrien's party?" The Bubbler leaned in close to her, and Y/n felt panic rise up in her. "Uhm, sure... How are we sure Adrien's dad won't see this? I don't want Adrien to get in trouble or anything—" The boyl rolled his eyes and slung his arm around Y/n's shoulder. She let out a small yelp as The Bubbler smirked. "<em>Chillax</em>, dude. I've already taken care of Adrien's pops. He won't know a thing. Now help out so we can get this party started!" </p>
  <p>     After twenty minutes of setting up the place, the teenagers stood patiently at the entrance of the house. Y/n stood in the middle, hoping to get lost in the crowd, and Alya walked up to the nervous girl. "Y/n, are you okay?" The girl looked at Alya before hastily shaking her head. "I just... I really want Ladybug and Chat Noir to get here already is all. What did The Bubbler even do? He said he 'took care' of Adrien's dad." Alya looked at the girl with sad eyes. "He bubbled up all the adults in Paris and sent them to space. He probably got to your dad too." </p>
  <p>     Y/n looked at Alya with furrowed brows. "My dad?" Alya slowly nodded as she looked at the girl with confusion. "He's the sous chef at Le Grand Paris? He works with my mom?" Y/n laughed at the girl and smiled. "That's my uncle, Alya. I'm living here with my uncle, who's my dad's brother, and his wife. That's why we all have the same last name." Alya giggled at her mistake and shrugged. "I didn't mean to assume. I should've asked about them when we went out last weekend, sorry." Y/n shook her head and gave the brunette a reassuring smile. "You're fine."</p>
  <p>     The conversation was cut short when the front doors of the house swung open. "Yay! Woo! Happy birthday!" The crowd screamed as The Bubbler floated above them on a bubble. "Hey, hey, hey, birthday boy. Guess what? Daddy's gone. While the cat's away, the mice will play." Adrien's eyes widened as he realized who the akumatized victim was. "Nino?!" The Bubbler shook his head and grinned. "The Bubbler's brought all yo homies together for one single-sole purpose, to ce-le-brate!" The crowd cheered with excitement as the boy jumped down from his bubble into the DJ booth. "Let's get this party started!"</p>
  <p>     The crowd cheered once again as The Bubbler started to play some party music. The teens began to dance and Y/n watched the blond hair boy run back inside his house. "I better go after him." Y/n told Alya as she ran towards the mansion's doors. "Come on, everybody, I brought you here to party!" The girl heard The Bubbler say as she closed the front doors. After taking a deep breath she took off her backpack and opened the front pocket. "Vinca, what should I do?" The kwami frowned and pointed back to the crowd. "Isn't it obvious? Go capture his akuma!" </p>
  <p>     Y/n sighed and furrowed her brows. "Ladybug isn't here yet. I can't bring back the adults without her Lucky Charm." Vinca grumbled, the girl had a point. After a few moments of silence the kwami sighed. "Go check on Adrien, maybe if Chat Noir shows up to the scene Ladybug will follow." Y/n nodded and threw her backpack onto her shoulder as she ran up the stairs and reached Adrien's room. She pressed her ear towards the door and tried to listen for the boy transforming.</p>
  <p>     "—may never get this chance again! C'mon, let's have a little fun while your father's away! Then we'll save Nino, trap his akuma, and all will be good." Y/n heard Plagg say, and the girl began to roll her eyes. She expected Adrien to protest, but was surprised when he did the opposite. "Okay, you're right. This might be the first day in my life that I actually get to do what I want for once." Adrien said with confidence to Plagg. Y/n frowned at the boy's words, and as the door began to open, she smiled. "There you are! Everyone's waiting for you. We can't have a birthday party without the birthday boy, now can we?" Adrien smiled at the girl as he exited his room and began to walk over to the stairs. "Are you coming?" </p>
  <p>     "Yeah, give me a second. I need to use the restroom." Y/n smiled as she made eye contact with Plagg, who was hiding behind Adrien's head. She glanced at Adrien as she walked into the boy's room. Y/n let out a huff of annoyance as she walked over to the restroom and slammed the door closed. She stood there patiently with her arms crossed as the small black kwami came into the restroom. "Plagg, what were you thinking?!" The kwami shrugged with a smirk, "I just gave him some words of advice." Vinca flew out from the pocket of the backpack and glared at the kwami with her arms crossed. </p>
  <p>     "The safety of Paris is much more important than a teenage birthday party. You need to be more responsible, Plagg." Vinca ranted, and Y/n flushed the toilet and turned on the sink to let it run. Plagg floated up to Vinca with a smirk. "If I were responsible, there wouldn't be the need to have you around, my little love dove." Vinca hit Plagg upside the head and glared at the black kwami. "I've told you not to call me that, you mangy alleycat."</p>
  <p>     "That's enough you two. Thanks to Plagg, we'll have to wait longer for Ladybug to get here. We'll just try to make the party seem so boring that Adrien will realize it's time to transform. Come on, I've been in here long enough." Y/n opened her backpack for Vinca to get in. The teal kwami sent one last glare at Plagg before flying into the bag. Y/n walked out of the room and smiled as she saw Adrien waiting for her at the top of the stairs. "You didn't have to wait for me." Adrien shrugged and the two began to walk towards the front doors. As soon as the doors opened, Adrien beamed and grabbed Y/n's arm to drag her towards the crowd. "Yeah!" </p>
  <p>     "Hey, nice party, I guess, since it's my first one." Adrien smiled at Rose as he danced. Y/n awkwardly danced next to him as she saw Rose give him two thumbs up before turning around and frowning. Y/n looked around at the crowd and saw everyone dance with a grim expression. "Is it me, or does everyone seem a bit weird?" Adrien asked with a frown as he turned to the girl, and Y/n hummed in agreement. A slow song began to play, and Y/n stopped dancing and turned to leave the crowd. Adrien smiled and held his hand out to the girl. "Wanna dance?" He asked, and Y/n's eyebrows furrowed as she stared at his hand. <em>Say no! Marinette will kill you!</em> "I— Uhm—" </p>
  <p>     Before she could decline, Chloé came up from behind the girl and pushed her away. "His dance card is full, sorry!" Before Y/n could hit the floor, Alya caught the girl. "What would you do without me?" The brunette smirked, and Y/n giggled as she regained her balance. "I'd be on the ground, that's for sure." Alya and Y/n walked over to the speakers and the brunette sighed. "I really hope Ladybug and Chat Noir get here soon." Alya whispered. Y/n solemnly nodded as the music turned back to lively music. "Dude! Who just hijacked my mix?" The Bubbler exclaimed with annoyance. </p>
  <p>     Y/n watched the crowd dance with frowns on their faces, and she sighed. "Have you heard from Marinette at all?" Alya asked and Y/n shook her head. "Do you think she's hurt?" The brunette looked at Y/n with worried eyes and the girl bit her lip and shook her head again. "He only went for the adults. I'm sure she'll be here any second." Y/n looked around the crowd and beamed when she saw the bluenette run towards the snack table. "Look, there she is!" </p>
  <p>     Alya smiled and grabbed Y/n's arm. They ran through the crowd and smiled when they reached Marinette. "Where have you been, girl?" Alya asked as her and Y/n gave Marinette a hug. "We were worried something had happened to you." Y/n frowned. Marinette smiled as she gave them a hug back. "Me too!" The three let go of each other and Alya grabbed Marinette's shoulder. "I'm sure Ladybug and Cat Noir will show up in a minute to save us all. They never failed us. Meanwhile, come with me, I've got something for you." Marinette awkwardly smiled as she tried to break free from the brunette's grasp.</p>
  <p>     "Uh, there's something I've got to do first." The bluenette sheepishly smiled. "It's about Adrien." Alya said with a smirk. Y/n frowned as Marinette nodded in surrender and began to walk with the girl. "Okay. Are you coming too, Y/n?" Marinette asked the girl. Y/n smiled as she shook her head and pointed back to the crowd. "I better stay here." Marinette nodded and waved as her and Alya snuck into the mansion. Y/n frowned and silently groaned. She hid under the table and opened her backpack. "What now, Vinca? Adrien is still partying and Marinette is inside of the house, probably trying to give Adrien his present."</p>
  <p>     The small kwami shrugged and looked at Y/n with a reassuring smile. "You'll figure something out, Y/n." The girl grumbled and she sat there, trying to think of something. With a sigh, she closed her backpack and put it over her shoulders. As Y/n got out from the table, she saw Adrien on the stage holding a microphone with excitement. "Hey, Paris, how you doing?" The crowd didn't respond, but when The Bubbler threateningly pulled out his bubble wand, everyone began to cheer. <em>That must be where his akuma is...</em></p>
  <p>     "Ladybug?" Adrien said while staring at the rooftop. Y/n smiled as the heroine hit the power strip with her yo-yo and unplugged everything. "Sorry, Bubbler, but the party is over." Ladybug smirked, and the boy groaned. "Why you gotta be like that?" As everyone turned their attention towards the heroine, Y/n ran out of the courtyard and hid behind wall. "You made all the adults disappear, that's why! And now you're imprisoning anyone who isn't having fun." Ladybug exclaimed, and Y/n threw off her backpack and opened the front pocket. "Vinca, let's fly!"</p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p><b>     "</b>You will not bust up my party!" The Bubbler shouted as he began to send bubbles at Ladybug. Y/n manifested smoke bomb arrows and began to shoot them around the yard. "Everyone, run!" The girl yelled and the crowd began to scream as they fled the scene. Y/n looked around the crowd for any lingering teens and grabbed some students to hide them on the house's roof. She pushed everyone down to hide as the smoke cleared and Chat Noir joined the scene. </p>
  <p>     The Bubbler sent a large amount of red bubbles their way. They used their yo-yo and baton to deflect them, but with a snap from the akumatized boy, the red bubbles turned green and encased Ladybug and Chat Noir in a large bubble. "Give me your Miraculouses before you run out of air." The Bubbler said, and Y/n huffed as she looked around the roof for a safe way out. "Dream on, Bubbler." Ladybug said with confidence and the boy groaned. "Total party poopers, just like adults."</p>
  <p>     "Kids need adults." The Bubbler laughed at Ladybug's statement and shook his head. "False! Kids need freedom, fun, let loose and live it up. Adults are controlling and bossy." He smirked as he waved around his bubble wand. "But adults keep children safe and protected. They care for their kids, they love them!" Ladybug defended. Chat Noir muttered something under his breath before looking up and glaring at The Bubbler. "You must bring the adults back!" </p>
  <p>     "Nope, never. Know what, since you care so much about these adults, why don't you go float with them for a while?" The Bubbler said with a smirk, and he ran up to the bubble and sent it to the air with a kick. "Why aren't you doing anything?!" Chloé, who was one of the students Y/n saved, shook Y/n's shoulders as she hid behind her. Y/n sighed and pushed Chloé's hands off her. "I'm trying, blondie." Y/n looked around and counted the amount of students she had with her. <em>Alya, Chloé, Max, Juleka, Nathaniel, Mylene.</em> Y/n inwardly groaned as she saw Alya bring out her phone and record Y/n.</p>
  <p>     "What's up Ladyblog!? Check this out! A real close up on Paris' night time hero! What's your name? There's been so many guesses! Hummingbird, Colibri, LadyBird, Humming Hero, Colibri Vibrant. Want to finally introduce yourself to us?" Alya asked as she shoved her phone in front of Y/n's face with a smile. <em>LadyBird? What type of name is that?</em> Y/n held in the urge to laugh and shook her head. "Sorry, rescuing first, questions later." Y/n sheepishly smiled as she brought the camera down and looked around the roof for an easy way down.</p>
  <p>     "Can you hurry it up, parakeet? I want to go home!" Chloé huffed from the railing of the roof as she crossed her arms. Y/n glared at her and pointed an arrow at her feet. Chloé yelped and jumped out of the way as Y/n let go of the arrow and the arrow opened up to be a net. It stuck to the side of the house and wall fairly close to the ground, and Y/n smiled. "We can use that as a safety net to get you guys down discreetly. Then, make a run for the exit."</p>
  <p>     Mylene volunteered to go first, but before she could, The Bubbler looked around the yard with a glare. "Where is everybody? Get out here and party!" Y/n grabbed the students and had them crouch down as Ladybug and Chat Noir came back into the yard. "Sorry to burst your bubble." Ladybug said with a smirk, and Alya jumped up to cheer her on. "Ladybug!" The rest of the students cheered with her, and Y/n frowned as she pulled them all back down.</p>
  <p>     "No one wants to party with you anymore, Bubbler." Ladybug told the boy as she got into her fighting position. "What's wrong with all you guys!? Why you gotta be such haters!?" The Bubbler huffed. He smirked and brought his bubble wand up to encase the six teens in bubbles. "NOOO!" Chat Noir and Ladybug screamed, and The Bubbler evilly laughed. "Outer space is the next stop for your precious peeps, and they're never coming back!" He said before running off in the direction of the Eiffel Tower. The two heroes followed him and Y/n stood up from her hiding place with a huff. </p>
  <p>     "Speeding Hum!" She shouted, and the floating teens seemed to stop in place. Y/n shot an arrow through each bubble and jumped up to grab her classmates and gently place them on the rooftop one by one. After everyone was safely on the roof, Y/n sighed in relief and sat down on the railing. As time began to go back to regular speed, Y/n covered her ears at how loudly her classmates were screaming. "Gaahhh!! You're okay! Please stop screaming!" </p>
  <p>     The teens looked at her with shock as Y/n pointed down to the net. "Ready to go home? I'm sure Ladybug will get everything back to normal very soon." One by one, the teens jumped down into the safety net and ran towards the exit. Alya, who was the last one, smiled as she recorded Y/n again. "Before you go, what should we call you? Emerald Colibri? LadyHum?" Y/n giggled and shook her head. "Hummingbird is fine." Alya beamed and waved a goodbye to the hero as she fell into the safety net and ran out the gates. Y/n smiled as she made her way back home and saw the swarm of Ladybugs bring the adults back to the city of Paris.</p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     "Why didn't you help Ladybug with the akuma?" Vinca whispered to the girl as she ate her slice of lasagna. Y/n blankly looked at the kwami before going back to doing her homework. "I don't know... Ladybug and Chat Noir have such a good dynamic going on. I don't want to intrude and just wedge myself in between them." Vinca sighed as she shook her head and set her fork down. "But Y/n, you have to help them in protecting Paris. It's not wedging in, it's doing your job."</p>
  <p>     Y/n frowned as she glanced at her kwami again. "And I can protect the people on my own, can't I? I don't <em>have to</em> be a third wheel if I don't want to, Vinca. I can help make sure the people are <em>safe</em> without having to distract Ladybug and Chat Noir from capturing the akuma." Vinca looked at the girl skeptically. The kwami decided to keep quiet as Y/n grabbed her mini speaker from off her desk and played some music.</p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     "She was so cool! You should've seen her, Marinette!" Alya grinned as she showed the bluenette the video off the Ladyblog. Y/n, who was just approaching the school, slung her arms around Alya and Marinette with a smile. "What are you guys looking at?" Alya showed the girl her phone with a smile. "I was recording when The Bubbler got me trapped in a bubble! You can barely see it, it's so fast, but after Hummingbird called out her super power all six of us were on the roof in a blink! A literal millisecond! I didn't edit this at all, and it's all like six frames apart!"  </p>
  <p>     Y/n smiled at the girl as Adrien's limo pulled up to the curb. "Hey girls!" He said with a grin as he flaunted his new scarf. "Hey, that's my scarf! He's wearing my scarf." Marinette whispered to Alya and Y/n as Adrien walked up to Nino. "Hey, dude." He said as he gave Nino a fist bump. "Yo, nice scarf, Adrien. Off the chain." Alya smiled as Adrien and Nino turned their attention to the trio. Marinette gave Adrien a small wave as he grinned. "Yeah, can you believe my dad got this for me? He's so awesome. He's been giving me the same lame pen for three years in a row." </p>
  <p>     Marinette looked at the blond boy with shock. Y/n opened her mouth to say something, but Nino looked at Adrien with surprise. "Wow, I guess anyone can change. Adults can be cool when you least expect it." Adrien began to frown. "Speaking of adults, I know my father said you were a bad influence, but—" Nino placed his hand on Adrien's shoulder and smiled. "We're good, Adrien, don't sweat it. We're buds. Always and forever." The two waved a goodbye to Y/n as they walked up the stairs. </p>
  <p>     Y/n waved at them but turned to Marinette with a frown. "You gotta tell him you were the one who knitted the scarf. You spent so long making it..." Marinette shook her head as she looked at Y/n with a smile. "But he seems so happy about his dad. I don't want to spoil it for him." Y/n sadly smiled at the bluenette's kindness and Alya grinned. "Aw, Marinette." The brunette sighed and pulled the two girls in for a group hug. "You're amazing, Marinette. You know that, right?" Y/n whispered reassuringly to the bluenette's ear. Marinette gratefully smiled at Y/n and the girl felt her cheeks warm up. "And someday Adrien will figure it out too. Promise." Ayla said as the three of them let go of each other. The bell rang and the three girls walked into the school with smiles on their faces.</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hope you enjoyed the chapter!!! dont forget to leave a comment or a kudos, till next time!! xoxo</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Copycat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Perhaps the ceremony should commence. It might bring them here faster." The mayor whispered to the man, whom Y/n concluded was the sculptor, and the man shook his head with a frown. "Please, just one minute more, Mayor Bourgeois, she's going to come, I can feel it..."</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i know i skipped a bunch of episodes, but with reason!! i really wanted to get the story moving along, and if i were to write out the pigeon and time breaker and stormy weather episodes then you really wouldve only been a side character. hope you enjoy the chapter!!!!</p>
<p>fun fact: in the french version, Hawk Moth's villian name is actually Papillon. im definitely gonna use that sometimes in this story</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     "What's so interesting about this dumb game anyway? You spend hours catching fish and bugs, paying off loans to a raccoon, and bringing up your island rating, when it's not even <em>your</em> island in the first place. Sounds like a load of bologna and very time wasting to me." Vinca grumbled to the girl, who was laying down on her bed with her Switch in hand. Y/n frowned and pushed the kwami off her pillow. "If you don't like it then don't watch, but don't you <em>ever</em> come for my Animal Crossing like that again. I'll have you know I find it <em>very</em> therapeutic thank you very much."</p>
<p>     Vinca rolled her eyes at the girl as Y/n smiled. The small kwami hid under the blanket as a soft knock was heard from the door. "N/n? You busy?" George asked, and Y/n gasped as she opened the door. "George?! I thought you were working late!" The girl gave her uncle a hug as the older man grinned. "Surprise! I was able to get the day off. Come on, put on some shoes." Y/n smiled as she walked over to her closet and put on a pair of shoes. "Where are we going?" </p>
<p>     "We're going to get some lunch at a restaurant and then we're going to see the unveiling for the Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Hummingbird sculptures at the Place des Vosges. My treat." George said from the living room. Y/n gasped as she dropped her mini backpack onto the floor. "That's today?!" The girl frowned at Vinca, who looked at her with wide eyes, and Y/n inwardly groaned. "<em>Merde.</em>" She whispered to herself as she walk over to her bed and opened up the small backpack for the kwami to get in. "Why? Did you already have plans?" </p>
<p>     "No, George. I didn't... I just— I have to sell my turnips today! Or they'll rot! I spent like a million bells on them, I can't waste them! Go with Skylar, or without me! I should really stay!" George rolled his eyes at the girl's antics and pointed to the front door. "You've spent <em>way</em> too much time inside. Besides, Skylar's busy at work and it'd be insanely depressing for me to go alone. Come on. It'll be a nice break! I can tell you've been stressing out over school." Y/n sighed as she walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a granola bar from the cupboard. She placed it inside of her backpack and timidly smiled to her uncle, who waited patiently for her at the front door. "We're out of granola bars!"</p><hr/>
<p>     "Dude, that was the best Mexican food I've ever had!" Y/n smiled as the two made their way out of the car. Her and George walked up to the large crowd of people and the older man frowned. "I can't see a thing." Y/n smirked as she grabbed his wrist. She began to push through the crowd with an apologetic smile as they slowly made her way towards the front. As they neared the front, Y/n let go of her uncle's hand and tried to slip through the crowd before making eye contact with Chat Noir. </p>
<p>     She smiled at the hero and gave him a small wave before turning back to leave the crowd. <em>This was too easy.</em> "Y/n! You're here too?" Alya ran up to the girl and grinned. <em>I knew it was too good to be true.</em> Y/n awkwardly laughed and nodded. "Yep, I'm here with my uncle! He's up at the front. I was— uhm... Looking for you! I knew you'd be here, getting footage for the Ladyblog! Hehe..." Y/n sheepishly smiled as Alya beamed. The brunette grabbed the girl's hand and dragged her back to the front of the crowd. "There you are, N/n! Is this your friend?"</p>
<p>     "You must be Mr. L/n! I'm Alya Césaire, it's a pleasure to meet you! My mom works with you at Le Grand Paris." Alya smiled as she shook hands with George. The older man grinned and nodded as Y/n softly sighed. "It's wonderful to meet you, Alya." The girl turned her attention towards the hero as Alya took her phone out to record. "Excuse me, Chat Noir, but Ladybug and Hummingbird aren't here." The man in the suit turned to the superhero. Y/n felt her eyebrows furrow as Chat Noir shrugged.</p>
<p>     "Don't worry about Ladybug. I'm sure she'll be here any minute. I can handle this situation alone for now. I'm the one in charge anyway, you know. As for that <em>Colibri doux,</em> she's always close to follow when it comes to me and Ladybug. Real die hard fan." Y/n scoffed at Chat Noir's cunningness. She watched as the man in the suit took of out a photo from his pocket and sighed. "It's just that, I wanted to ask Hummingbird to autograph this photo. She's amazing. She's so brave and smart, the way she always saves everyone..." Chat Noir glared at the photo as the man stared at it with admiration. Y/n blushed at the man's words as she felt pride bubble up from within her.</p>
<p>     "Perhaps the ceremony should commence. It might bring them here faster." The mayor whispered to the man, whom Y/n concluded was the sculptor, and the man shook his head with a frown. "Please, just one minute more, Mayor Bourgeois, she's going to come, I can feel it..." Y/n frowned at the man's words as Alya turned to her with a grin. "I can't wait to see the statues already! I bet they're going to look so awesome!"</p>
<p>     "Yep! Can't wait!" Y/n awkwardly smiled as she looked at the large figure with the drape over it. When the Mayor had originally told Hummingbird about the ceremony she was shocked. Y/n was surprised that the city of Paris had accepted her with open arms. The last three akuma attacks Y/n focused on staying in the sidelines and helping the Parisians in staying safe. The thing that bummed her out was the fact that Marinette seemed to despise Hummingbird. Whenever Alya would talk about her or show them a video, Marinette would always roll her eyes and quietly huff. </p>
<p>     "Call me crazy, but is Chat Noir looking at you?" Alya whispered to Y/n. The girl looked at her friend in surprise before turning back to the hero. Y/n made eye contact with his green eyes and halfheartedly smiled as he sent a wink her way. "That guy is <em>such</em> a flirt." She muttered to Alya and the brunette giggled. After a few moments of waiting, Mayor Bourgeois stood at the stand and began the ceremony. Y/n felt awful when she looked at the sculptor's sad face. "It's only proper for Paris to pay homage to those to protect us from evil. Ladybug, Hummingbird, and Chat Noir!"</p>
<p>     As the crowd cheered at the Mayor's words, the large drape was ripped off the statue. Y/n gasped as she saw how realistic and detailed it looked. Chat Noir was crouching down, Ladybug was jumping over him with her yo-yo twirling around her, and Hummingbird stood behind them, looking at the crowd over her shoulder with her bow and arrow horizontally ready in hand. "Can I get some photos for the Ladyblog?" Alya shouted as she brought out her phone closer to the statues. Y/n admired the sculpture with a smile, but began to frown as she saw the man look at the Hummingbird statue and sadly sigh.</p><hr/>
<p>     "These statues are amazing. One thing's slightly off though— I'm actually taller than Ladybug, Hummingbird too." Chat Noir smirked as he threw his arm around Théo. The man looked at the statue with sad eyes as he let out a small sigh. "She didn't show up. I just wanted to express my adoration for her. Let her know that everything I had went into her statue. I'm sure if she took a little time to get to know me, she would see how much we have in common. Our devotion to the things we love."</p>
<p>     "Hey, don't mean to burst your bubble, but you know, Ladybug and me, we're a thing, you know? We're like this." Chat Noir smirked as her brought up his fingers and crossed them. The sculptor rolled his eyes and took out his photo of Hummingbird. "I don't <em>care</em> about Ladybug. I just wanted a chance to be with Hummingbird." Chat Noir rolled his eyes at Théo's words and looked at the photo with him. He'd never seen Hummingbird in person. Whenever he was out on patrol or catching akumas, she was nothing but a shadow in the distance. Although he knew nothing of the girl, Chat Noir couldn't explain the annoyance he was getting from the artist's sappiness. </p>
<p>     "Actually, hate to break it to you, but Hummingbird is in love with me." Chat Noir smirked as he saw the man stare at him with skeptical eyes. He knew he hit a nerve. "Really?" Théo said, not really believing the hero. Chat Noir shrugged and nodded at the man. "Why do you think she works on her own rather than with me and Ladybug? She's jealous. She has a really big thing for me, if you couldn't tell." Chat Noir cunningly smiled. Théo frowned as he threw Chat's arms off of him. "What does Hummingbird see in him?" The artist muttered to himself as he stormed out of the park. Chat Noir smirked to himself as he exited the park and discreetly made his way back to the school.</p><hr/>
<p>     "She called him hotstuff! I feel awful for laughing, but it was just too good to be true!" Alya giggled. Her and Y/n went to an ice cream parlor together when the ceremony finished. Alya had just filled the girl in on Marinette's disaster of a phone call. <em>So that's why Ladybug didn't make it to the ceremony.</em> "So she went to the school to delete the message herself? Jeez, she really doesn't think straight sometimes. She could get in big trouble! Do you think she got caught?" </p>
<p>     "You do make a good point... We should call her!" Alya smiled as she brought out her phone. Before the brunette could dial Marinette, Alya got a notification from the news app. "You still have that thing?" Y/n playfully scoffed and Alya proudly nodded. "Call me old school, but it's the best way to find out where Ladybug and Chat Noir are fighting akumas." The brunette pulled up the app and gasped when she saw the headline. "No way?! Chat Noir just robbed the Louvre!" </p>
<p>     "<em>What?!</em>" Y/n gasped as she grabbed Alya's phone. The two girls huddled over it as the live video played. "Nadja Chamack here. Don't be bemused, it's just the news. And in some astonishing news, there's been a spectacular theft at the Louvre. Amateur video showed without a shadow of a doubt that the thief is none other than the famous hero, Chat Noir." Y/n gaped at the phone as it played the video of Chat Noir. "This painting is the cat's meow." He said with a smirk as he set down a lollipop stick and ran out of the exhibit. Alya jumped up with a beam and began to ran off.</p>
<p>     "I am so out of here, girl! I'm gonna head over to the Louvre and see if I can fish out some more deets! I'll call Marinette later and let you know what she did! Bye!" With that, the brunette ran around the corner, and Y/n sighed. "She's too curious for her own good." The girl muttered as she got up and walked into an alleyway. Once checking to see if the coast was clear, Y/n took off her mini backpack and smiled at her kwami. "Something tells me the <em>Chaton et Coccinelle</em> will need my help today. Vinca, let's fly!"</p><hr/>
<p>     Within no time, Hummingbird made her way down to the Louvre museum. Ladybug landed near her not too long after. "Pleasure to finally make the acquaintance, Miss Ladybug." Hummingbird smiled as she held her hand out to the red heroine. Ladybug frowned as she looked at the extended hand. The bluenette huffed and walked away to the mayor with her arms crossed. Y/n stood there dumbfounded. She knew Marinette didn't exactly like Hummingbird, but not that she hated her so much that she wouldn't even shake her hand. The girl softly sighed as she walked over to Ladybug and the Mayor.</p>
<p>    "Mr. Mayor, this is ridiculous. I'm sure there's a simple explanation." Ladybug said as she walked over to the mayor. Before Mayor Bourgeois could answer, a police officer walked up to the three with a smile. "Kitty's in the slammer, Ladybug." Hummingbird frowned and walked up to the man. "At least let us talk to the boy and have us figure out what's going on—" Before the girl could get past the cop, he put his arms up and smiled. "Now, now. Leave it to the experts, Hummingbird. We've got it under control."</p>
<p>     The girl huffed and crossed her arms. Hummingbird opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by the officer's walkie talkie. "Chat Noir is getting away!"  Ladybug ran inside the building, the officer following closely, and Hummingbird smirked to herself as she left and jumped onto the palace roof. She walked around and waited until she saw a black figure run up to the roof's railing and hide. "Hello there, Chat Noir. Need a hand?" The girl asked as she reached the hero. Chat Noir looked at the girl blankly and in shock. "Hummingbird? What'd I do to owe the pleasure of finally meeting you?" </p>
<p>     Chat asked as he smiled at the girl and winked. Y/n rolled her eyes at the boy and raised an eyebrow. "Stole the Mona Lisa? Care to explain yourself?" Chat Noir frowned and pulled out his baton. "That wasn't me, it was a lousy copycat." He muttered before dialing Ladybug. "Chat Noir, what's going on?" The bluenette asked as she ran up the stairs. Hummingbird watched with amusement as Chat Noir grinned and leaned in to the camera. "You know I'm innocent, don't you, Bugaboo?"</p>
<p>     "Stop playing around and calling me Bugaboo. This is really serious!" Ladybug frowned. Chat Noir shook his head and smiled. "I'm gonna find the real culprit and save my tail. I'll get back to— Wha!" Hummingbird and Chat Noir gasped as a helicopter came into view. Chat Noir hung up the phone and grabbed Hummingbird's arm as he began to run. "Give yourself up, Chat Noir!" The police officer's said through the megaphone as they followed the two heroes. As they continued to run away, Y/n yanked her arm away from Chat Noir's grasp and manifested some smoke bomb arrows. After shooting the arrows on the floor, the girl watched Chat Noir's figure run off towards a metro station and she jumped off in the direction Ladybug went.</p>
<p>     "Care to introduce yourself to your ally?" Hummingbird called out to Ladybug as she landed next to her on a building. Ladybug glared at the girl and jumped off to another building with a huff. She never liked Hummingbird. Ladybug always saw her location on her yo-yo phone whenever they were out on patrol, but the thing that bothered her was the fact that Hummingbird never put her powers to use. Instead of helping her and Chat Noir capture the last akumas, she would run off to the side and presumably hide. Total waste of a Miraculous if you asked her. "I just helped out your partner, the least thing you could do is say thanks!" Hummingbird frowned.</p>
<p>     "I have no interest in talking to a <em>wuss</em> who always hides at the sight of an akuma." Ladybug turned to Hummingbird as she landed on a building. Y/n stumbled on her landing and looked at the girl in shock. "<em>Excuse me?</em> I don't <em>hide.</em> I make sure the area is safe for you and Chat Noir to be as reckless as possible for your little heart's consent. I'm doing my job in making sure the people of Paris are safe, you and Chat Noir are doing your job in capturing the akuma. Don't tell me how to do my part when you can't even see what's happening behind the scenes." Hummingbird huffed as she jumped away to another building.</p>
<p>    Y/n didn't mean to snap at Ladybug just then. She actually really admired Marinette. As she got closer to her the past few weeks Y/n could tell how kind and generous the girl was. She was hoping to get closer to the girl as Hummingbird. The Ladybug side of Marinette was so brave and quick-witted, but when Ladybug walked away from Hummingbird with a glare at their first interaction, Y/n couldn't help but feel hurt. She was just a little frustrated at the fact that Ladybug was so quick to assume.</p>
<p>     "But my Miraculous Ladybug fixes everything after the battle is done! You could be much more useful if you helped us rather than trying to run around on the sidelines." Ladybug shouted as she followed the girl. Hummingbird sighed and turned to face the bluenette as they landed on a building. "Winning a battle isn't always certain, Ladybug. There's nothing wrong with being cautious and prepared." Ladybug frowned at the girl's words. Before she could respond her yo-yo began to ring. "Chat Noir, where are you?" Ladybug asked as she answered her phone. Hummingbird peered over the bluenette's shoulder to look at the phone. "I found his den." Chat Noir said as he looked around the room he was in.</p>
<p>     "Who?" Ladybug asked as she glanced at Hummingbird. Y/n shrugged and the two girls looked back at the phone. "My Copycat." Chat Noir plainly said as he continued to walk around. "I'm not getting you." Ladybug frowned as she began to run to another rooftop. Hummingbird followed as she continued to listen to the conversation. "If you'd been there this morning, you'd know what I was talking about." Chat Noir said, and Y/n quietly gasped. "The sculptor?" Ladybug glanced at the girl before landing on another building. "Well? Tell me where you are."</p>
<p>     "No, this is between me and him. I got myself into this mess, so I'm gonna get myself out." Chat Noir said before ending the call. Y/n landed next to the bluenette as Ladybug frowned. "Uhh, Cat? Cat!" She groaned and began to look for Chat Noir's location on her yo-yo phone. "This way! Do you know what happened at the ceremony this morning by any chance?" Ladybug asked as the girls ran towards the location.</p>
<p>     Hummingbird frowned and shook her head as they landed on a building. "I didn't get to make it in my hero form, but I did have a glance at it in my civilian form. From the little time I was there, I do remember that the sculptor had a picture of me and was bummed that we didn't make it. Chat Noir must've said something to upset him." Ladybug sighed as the two heroines continued to go on their way. "That cat never knows how to keep his mouth shut." Y/n smiled at the girl's words as she jumped onto another rooftop. "You should call him again. Maybe he'll answer tell us what building he's in." Hummingbird said as they landed on the building. Ladybug nodded and brought out her yo-yo phone again. "Right."</p><hr/>
<p>     "I don't get what Hummingbird sees in you. A fool who so easily falls into my trap." Copycat smirked as he stood in front of Chat Noir, who was trying to kick him but was restrained by the chains around his wrists. Chat Noir looked behind him for his staff and panicked when he realized he didn't have it. "Looking for this? Which one should I pick up? My one or <em>my</em> one?" Chat Noir's staff started to ring and Copycat picked it up. "Ladybug, hurry up. I've caught the imposter at Théo Barbot's workshop." Ladybug nodded and began to run in the direction of the workshop. "We'll be there in thirty seconds."</p>
<p>     "Don't come here, Ladybug! It's a trap!" Chat Noir yelled out before Copycat smirked and ended the call. He turned to the hero with a grin. "Too late, Cat. Ladybug's on her way, which was my plan all along. What was it that you said about Hummingbird? 'She's always close to follow when it comes to me and Ladybug.'" Chat Noir smirked at the man's words and shook his head. "They won't be duped. Ladybug knows me too well."</p>
<p>     "I know you well too. And from now on, Hummingbird will love me, not you!" Copycat frowned as he pulled out his photo of Hummingbird. He placed it into his pocket as Chat Noir looked at him in confusion. "Love me? ...You're right! She loves me! That's why she'll be able to reveal your true identity!" Copycat glared at the boy until Chat Noir saw Hawk Moth's mask control him. Copycat smiled as he knocked Chat Noir down and began to take his ring off. "Huh?" Copycat muttered as he looked up to the ceiling of the workshop. "Ha ha!" Chat Noir beamed as Ladybug and Hummingbird came in and ran up to the two black cats.</p>
<p>     "There you are." Copycat smiled at Hummingbird as Ladybug fell down to her knees. "Chat Noir! Are you alright?" She asked Copycat. Chat Noir frowned at Ladybug as Hummingbird inspected him closer. "He really does look like you!" Chat Noir huffed and looked at the girl as he tried to break free of Copycat's grasp. "That's because I am me!" Hummingbird looked at the two skeptically as Ladybug looked up to Copycat. "Where is his akuma?" Copycat smiled as he brought Chat Noir's hand closer to her. "Inside his ring, of course. Grab it." Ladybug went to grab the ring before Hummingbird put her hand on the bluenette's shoulder and pulled her back. </p>
<p>     "He even has the same powers as you." Hummingbird muttered as the ring began to beep. Copycat nodded and gave her a sweet smile. "Simply amazing, isn't it?" Ladybug looked at Hummingbird with annoyance as she shrugged her hand off her shoulder. "Well, what are we waiting for? I need to catch his akuma already." Ladybug said and Hummingbird sent her a glare. She stared back down at Chat Noir and the hero smiled at her. "If you don't believe I'm the real Chat Noir, ask him about our love for each other." </p>
<p>     "Uhh..." Y/n felt her cheeks become warm as she looked at Chat with confusion. Ladybug watched the two interact with wide eyes. "Give me one good reason why I would lie to you, <em>Colibri doux.</em>" Y/n raised an eyebrow at the nickname, but looked up to Copycat hesitantly. She took a deep breath before she began to smile and lean in towards Copycat. "I hope you didn't tell him about us." She whispered, and Copycat turned a bright shade of red. "What?" He muttered, and Ladybug watched dumbfoundedly as Hummingbird softly nodded. "That we... you know, have a little secret? About our past?" She giggled as she made a little figure with her fingers and walked it up the man's chest.</p>
<p>     "Uh, yes! Of course!" Copycat nervously laughed as Y/n leaned in closer. She smiled at him as he closed his eyes and leaned in with his lips puckered. The girl rolled her eyes and backed up, pushing him away with a finger. "Talk about bad acting. I've literally never even interacted with Chat Noir and Ludybug other than today. Copycat!" Ladybug looked at the girl with surprise as Copycat growled. "I love you, Hummingbird! I'm way better than this mangy alley cat!"</p>
<p>     "Sorry, but if you want to get anywhere with lying, at least take an acting class first. I could sniff you out from a mile away." Hummingbird smirked as she pulled out her bow. Ladybug scoffed and took out her yo-yo as she stood next to her. "What type of a message are you sending? Lying isn't cool." Y/n held back the urge to roll her eyes as she glanced at Ladybug. <em>We literally do it everyday, Marinette.</em> Before she could reply, Copycat huffed. "If I can't have you, then nobody will! Cataclysm!"</p>
<p>     "Now would be a really good time to use your Lucky Charm!" Hummingbird yelped as Copycat ran up to them with his hand extended. "Why don't you follow your own advice, and don't tell me how to do my job. Lucky Charm!" Ladybug threw up her yo-yo and a swarm of ladybugs made her a spoon. "A spoon? What am I supposed to do with this?" Y/n panicked as the Copycat got closer, grabbing Chat Noir's chains and brought them towards the hand so that Copycat would destroy them instead. "Nice reflexes, Birdie." Chat Noir smirked at her and Y/n winked at him. </p>
<p>     "Where's his akuma?" Ladybug asked as the three of them got into a fighting stance. "The photo in his pocket. Let's make it snappy." Chat Noir frowned as his ring began to beep. Copycat laughed as he brought his hand up. "Ha ha ha! You're going to change back before me." Chat Noir charge at him and tried steal his staff back from the man, but was thrown back. Y/n kept shooting blunt tipped arrows at Copycat as Ladybug tried to take the staff back from the villian. "He's pretty good." Ladybug huffed as she landed on the bars in the workshop's ceiling, and Chat Noir looked at her with a frown. "Don't need to rub it in!"</p>
<p>     "I told you I was better than him." Copycat smirked as he looked around the workshop for Y/n. Before he could turn around, Hummingbird kicked him from behind and threw Chat Noir's staff back to him. "You guys talk too much." Copycat turned around to Y/n with a growl, and went to fight the girl. Hummingbird held her bow in one hand as she got ready to fight, but Chat Noir lunged at Copycat with his staff and Ladybug yanked the girl onto the poles with her yo-yo. Y/n groaned in pained as her abdomen hit the metal bar. "I had that under control." </p>
<p>      Ladybug smiled and shrugged. She looked back down at the two cat heroes fighting and frowned. She used her yo-yo to grab the wrist of one as she landed back down on the floor. "Hey, it's me!" Chat Noir huffed as he looked back at the red heroine. Copycat shook his head and pointed an accusing at Chat Noir. "He's lying! I'm the real one!" Ladybug furrowed her brows as Hummingbird landed down next to her. "Show me your ring. How many pads do you have left?" Ladybug said to the one she had caught in her yo-yo. Chat Noir showed her his hand, and the ring beeped down to one paw. Copycat grumbled as he hid his ring from the three.</p>
<p>     "Chat Noir, scratch attack!" Ladybug shouted as she looked around the room to put her Lucky Charm to use. Hummingbird sat there dumbfounded as Chat Noir smirked. "Gladly. I love a good cat fight." She watched as Ladybug smiled and began to make a fishing rod with Chat Noir's staff, a wooden rod, her yo-yo, and the spoon. "Time to go akuma fishing!" Ladybug smiled as Chat Noir got Copycat to the ground and attached the "hook" of the fishing rod to his belt. Y/n frowned to herself. Ladybug's words from earlier kept swirling in her thoughts. <em>I have no interest in talking to a </em>wuss<em> who always hides at the sight of an akuma. You could be much more useful if you helped us rather than trying to run around on the sidelines.</em></p>
<p>     <em>I'll show you, I have a couple tricks up my sleeve.</em> As Chat Noir unzipped the the man's pocket, Ladybug started to bring him up to the ceiling. Y/n smiled to herself as an idea formed in her head. "Speeding Hum!" She shouted, and the room slowed down to a stop. "Sorry, Marinette. I'm gonna have to use you as a launchpad." Y/n softly whispered as she patted the girl on the head. She stood back a couple of steps and jumping off Ladybug's shoulders. Ladybug slowly started to fall down as Y/n reached the man on the ceiling and grabbed his photo. As she landed she ripped up the photo and the akuma flew out. Y/n contemplated for a moment as she watched the akuma slowly flutter away. </p>
<p>     <em>I have to show Marinette that I'm not completely useless.</em> Hummingbird sighed as she brought up her bow and began to summon a purifying arrow. It was different than her other arrows. This one glew brighter and was nearly pure white. As time began to go back to normal speed, Y/n let go of the arrow. "Gah!!" Ladybug yelled as she fell to the floor. Y/n, Chat Noir, and Ladybug stared at the arrow as it hit the akuma and let out small firework of light and sparkles. When the flash of light dimmed down, the akuma was purified and back to a small, white butterfly. Chat Noir caught Théo as he fell and smiled at Hummingbird. Ladybug got up from the floor and rolled her eyes as she threw up her spoon. "Miraculous Ladybug!"</p>
<p>     "Nice catch!" Hummingbird smiled as she walked over to Chat Noir and the ladybugs turned everything back to normal. The cat hero grinned at her as he set the sculptor down. "I don't know you all that well, Dove, but I'm glad you could tell the real cat from the fake one." He said as he leaned in close to her. Y/n rolled her eyes as she pushed Chat Noir away with a finger and smirked. "The name's <em>Hummingbird</em>. You better watch yourself, Alleycat." Chat Noir cunningly smiled at her as he bowed and grabbed her hand. He placed a soft kiss on her knuckles and winked. "We should do this again sometime, <em>Colibri.</em> It was fun having you around." </p>
<p>     As Y/n smiled and halfheartedly shook her head, the boy's ring began to beep. He stood up straight and waved at her and Ladybug as he left the building. Ladybug walked up to her with furrowed brows as brought out her yo-yo. "I had that under control." She said as she shot her yo-yo through the roof. Y/n frowned and reached for the heroine's arm before she could make her exit. "Ladybug, wait. I know I didn't make a good first impression on you, but I want you to know that I truly am an ally and will be here when you need me. I'm sorry I didn't help you out during the last couple of akuma attacks, but we can't risk giving Hawk Moth the satisfaction of having all three Miraculous in one place. Who knows what that evil <em>Papillon</em> would do if he got his hands on them."</p>
<p>     Ladybug's eyes softened at the girls words. She stood there for a moment in her thoughts before turning to Y/n. "There's nothing wrong with being cautious and prepared, right? You should go talk to the sculptor. Tell him I'm sorry for not being able to make it." Y/n softly nodded as Ladybug gave her a small smile and left the building. Y/n quietly sighed as she longingly watched the heroine disappear over the horizon. "What am I doing here? Hummingbird?" Théo said as he walked up to the girl. Y/n turned around to face the man and sadly smiled.</p>
<p>     "I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the ceremony this morning, Théo." She said as she grabbed the picture of herself from off the floor and handed it to the man. Théo smiled as he grabbed a pen from out of his pocket and gave it to the girl. "Can you autograph it for me?" He asked, and Y/n couldn't help but beam. "Of course I can! You've got some real artistry here. You've really captured my essence." The girl grinned as she signed the paper for Théo. "Thank you, Hummingbird." He said as Y/n handed him back the photo. Théo looked at it with a smile and grinned back up to Hummingbird. "And don't worry. I know about you and Chat Noir. It's okay." Y/n stared at him blankly and confused before smiling and leaving the building with a wave. </p><hr/>
<p>     "Vinca, why do you think Ladybug hates me so much?" Y/n sighed as she stared over the city's horizon. The girl was sitting on her balcony with her Switch and a blanket wrapped around her body. All day, Y/n couldn't stop thinking about the glares and huffs Ladybug would send her way. Vinca frowned at the girl as she snuggled up into her lap. "You haven't done anything wrong, Y/n. You would be pretty skeptical too if a 'hero' showed up late on the band wagon and didn't even bother to introduce herself to you, right?" </p>
<p>     The kwami smiled at her owner, but Y/n's frown grew bigger. She slouched into her chair as she set her Switch on the table. "I guess, but... If Marinette doesn't like me as Hummingbird, does she even like me in real life?" Vinca pursed her lips as she looked at the girl. "She doesn't like Adrien's Chat Noir side, but she still likes Adrien." </p>
<p>     "But that's <em>different</em>, Vinca. Adrien acts different when he turns into Chat Noir. He's more reckless and playful. I'm trying to be transparent, the same when I'm me and Hummingbird. So why doesn't she like me? Do you think I went too far when I captured the akuma today? Maybe I should've helped them out with Stormy Weather. Or with Time Breaker, but I barely even made it out of there, and by the time I was able to change they were finishing up. What if Ladybug hates me forever?! I'd never be able to live with myself!" Y/n groaned as she threw her head into her hands. Vinca let out a sigh as she pat the girl's knee.</p>
<p>     "I think... you're overthinking about this a bit too much. Ladybug jumped to conclusions, and you'll do your best to tear those assumptions down! You're doing fine, Y/n. Don't let a silly crush get in the way of your herowork." Vinca smiled as she closed her eyes and went back to sleep. Y/n sighed as she comfortably sat back up. She went to grab her Switch, but screamed as her balcony shook. "Gahh!!" Y/n panicked as she stood up. She threw her blanket onto the floor and over Vinca as she grabbed her Switch and chucked it at the figure that stood to the left of her.</p>
<p>     "Ow! What was that for?!" The voice muttered as they grabbed the Switch before it fell to the ground. Y/n's eyes widened as she looked at the figure. "Chat Noir? What are you doing here?" Chat Noir looked at the girl blankly before shaking his head and looking at her again. "Y/n? Is this your balcony?" Y/n looked at the boy with an eyebrow raised. <em>Mistake number one, Adrien Agreste.</em> "How do you know my name?" Chat Noir's eyes widened in panic as he awkwardly laughed. "I— Uhm— Heard your friend say your name at the ceremony this morning! She runs the Ladyblog. Alya, right?" </p>
<p>     "And you heard <em>that</em> over the sound of hundreds Parisians in a crowd?" Y/n asked, and Chat Noir nodded with a smirk. "I have good ears. It's a very pretty name belonging to a very pretty face. How could I forget?" Y/n discreetly rolled her eyes as she grabbed the Switch back from the boy. <em>Flirt.</em> "You still didn't answer my question. Why are you here?" Chat Noir frowned and dramatically placed a hand over his heart. "Ouch, are you saying you don't want my company?" Y/n deadpanned at the hero as she waited for her answer.</p>
<p>     "I was just passing by, honest! But then you screamed and I thought there was a threat." Chat Noir shrugged as he leaned against the railing of the balcony. Y/n sighed as she sat back down and shook her head. "The only 'threat' was you literally shaking my entire balcony with that landing of yours." Chat Noir giggled and the girl's words, and Y/n couldn't help but smile. He stood up and walked over to the girl. "I'll make sure to remember that next time." He smirked as he grabbed Y/n's hand.</p>
<p>     "Next time?" The girl asked in confusion as the blond bowed and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. "<em>Adieu.</em>" He smiled before taking off into the night. Y/n rolled her eyes and halfheartedly smiled at the boy as she picked up the blanket. Vinca floated up to the girl's shoulder and smirked. "Do you think Adrien likes you?" Y/n looked at the kwami in confusion. "Of course Adrien likes me, we're best friends."</p>
<p>     Vinca shook her head and huffed. "No, I mean <em>likes</em> you." Y/n blankly looked at Vinca before laughing out loud at the kwami's statement. She shook her head as she wiped a tear away from her eyes. "Adrien? <em>Like</em> <em>me?</em> That is <em>gold!</em> He's literally head over heels for Ladybug, you know that. <em>Everyone</em> knows he has the hots for 'Bugaboo', Vinca. He was just being a flirt is all." Y/n continued to giggle as she walked back into her room. Vinca sighed as she followed the girl inside.</p><hr/>
<p>     "Maybe you dropped it somewhere." Y/n awkwardly smiled as she walked into the class with Adrien and Nino. She glanced at Marinette and Alya as the two boys sat down. "Well, if I did, then, whoever has it found it in the boys' locker room. I was checking my voicemail in there during fencing practice." Adrien frowned.</p>
<p>     Y/n let out a breath of relief as she saw Marinette slip his phone back into his backpack. As the bag fell to the floor, Y/n pointed to it and smiled. "It's right there, Adrien. Did you even look?" The boy looked at his phone in shock as he picked his bag up from the floor. "What in the... I already looked in here a thousand times!" Y/n rolled her eyes as Nino smiled and threw his arm around Adrien's shoulders. "You need some time off. Hey, I know, let's all go to the movies tonight." Y/n smiled at the opportunity and nodded. "For sure! Mind if a few friends tag along?" She said as she pointed to Alya and Marinette. The two girls gasped as Nino and Adrien turned to them with a smile. Nino nodded and turned back to Y/n. "Sure thing!"</p>
<p>     Y/n smiled at her friends as she walked down the middle isle to reach her seat. Before she could sit down, Marinette grabbed the girl and gave her a tight hug. "Yay! You're the best, Y/n! Thank you! I don't know what I'd do without you!" Y/n felt her face heat up as she slowly gave Marinette a hug back. Y/n knew her face was probably a deep shade of red at that point, but she also knew that she could stay in that moment forever.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>question</p>
<p>would you rather i say hummingbird and y/n when you're tranformed or just hummingbird?<br/>what will keep you emerged in the story best?</p>
<p>pls let me know! </p>
<p>hope you enjoyed the chapter! dont forget to leave a comment and a kudos &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Lady Wifi</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Hey! I think I've just sniffed out who the real Ladybug is!" Alya beamed as she set down her phone and grabbed Marinette's bag from Y/n's hands. Alya began to write a note for Marinette as Nino looked at her with shock, and Y/n felt her heartbeat skip a beat. <em>There's no fucking way...</em> Y/n and Nino leaned in close to Alya as she whispered with a grin. "Chloé."</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     "I'm very pleased with how you all did on your last assignment. Some of you have really stepped up, and I do appreciate it. Now it's time to move on to our next assignment." Ms. Bustier smiled as she passed back the assignments. She stopped in her tracks and looked at Alya, who was holding a picture of Ladybug with the face cut out of it in front of Chloé. Alya sheepishly smiled as she put the photo away and Ms. Bustier looked at the empty seat next to her. </p><p>     "Is Marinette still in the girls' room?" The teacher asked, and Alya looked at the empty seat before shrugging. "Uh, I don't know, miss." Y/n softly sighed to herself as the bell rang. She quickly got her things and walked up to Marinette's seat to grab the girl's bag. "Tonight I want you all to read chapter three of the breathtaking France, the First Thousand Years. Then, answer this simple questionnaire." Ms. Bustier passed another set of papers as the students began to leave the classroom.</p><p>     The teacher handed Y/n two papers and smiled. "See to it that Marinette receives her homework, girls." Y/n looked at the teacher with a nod, and waited patiently for Alya at the end of the desk. "Let's go look for Marinette." Alya smiled as she grabbed the girl's arm and dragged her out of the class. Alya took out her phone to call Marinette, and she sighed when it sent her to the bluenette's voicemail. They walked all around the school, checking all the bathrooms, before asking some of their classmates.</p><p>     "Have you guys seen Marinette anywhere?" Alya asked Juleka and Rose. The two girls shook their head as the brunette quietly groaned. Y/n smiled and pat the girl on the back. "Come on, let's go drop off her stuff at home." Alya looked at Y/n with a nod. They walked over to the locker room and Alya quickly grabbed her stuff. They began to walk back to the exit but Alya gasped and pulled Y/n back to hide behind the lockers.</p><p>     The girl let out a small yelp as she hit the floor, and glared at Alya as the brunette peeked over the lockers. "Alya?! What was that for?" The brunette turned to shush the girl and watched Chloé leave the locker room. "Chloé's Ladybug?" Alya whispered to herself as Y/n got up from the floor. "<em>What?</em>" Y/n looked at Alya with wide eyes. The brunette grabbed the girl's arm and ran out of the locker room. "Come on!"</p><p>     Alya dragged Y/n out to the school's entrance, and watched Chloé run into her limo. She quickly dialed her phone and Y/n heard Marinette's voicemail go off. "Hey, Marinette. Ring me ASAP. We gotta talk." Alya hung up to phone and huffed. Before Y/n could ask the girl if she was alright, she looked up and saw Nino walk past them. "Nino, wait!" The boy stopped in his tracks and looked at the two girls. "Yeah?" Alya grabbed his and Y/n's wrist and began to run. "Come with us, I need your help!"</p><p>     Alya dragged the two to a bench near the Siene and sat down in between Y/n and Nino. "So—" Nino began to talk, but Alya shushed him and brought out her phone. As she tried to call Marinette again, Nino and Y/n shared a skeptical look before looking back at Alya. "It's Marinette, leave a message. Beep! He he." Alya groaned at the sound of the voicemail and hung up. "Ughh. I hate when she goes AWOL. She's not calling me back! Where is that girl?!"</p><p>     "Seriously. My man Adrien's the exact same way." Nino nodded as he slouched back into the bench. Y/n inwardly cringed as she awkwardly smiled and shook her head. "But think about it, you're gonna have to be sly when a guy like Mr. Agreste is your dad." Y/n glanced at the boy as Nino sighed and shrugged at the girl's words. "I guess you're right." Y/n let out a small breath of relief as Alya's phone began to ring. She opened the notification and it led her to the news app. "Once again, Ladybug and Chat Noir have saved Paris from the clutches of a menacing villain."</p><p>     As Nadja Chamack spoke and the video of Ladybug at the scene popped up on the screen, Alya gasped. "Hey! I think I've just sniffed out who the real Ladybug is!" Alya beamed as she set down her phone and grabbed Marinette's bag from Y/n's hands. Alya began to write a note for Marinette as Nino looked at her with shock, and Y/n felt her heartbeat skip a beat. <em>There's no fucking way...</em> Y/n and Nino leaned in close to Alya as she whispered with a grin. "Chloé."</p><p>     Y/n felt relief wash over her as Nino began to laugh. "Chloé? Seriously? She's too self-absorbed to think of anyone but herself, much less save the world. You are cray-cray, lady!" Nino smirked at Alya as the brunette began to frown. Y/n placed a hand over her shoulder and softly smiled. "Alya, are you sure you're not jumping the gun on this?" The brunette stood up and shook her head. She huffed as she grabbed Nino and Y/n's wrist again and dragged them up the stairs. "I am <em>so</em> <em>not!</em> You'll see!"</p><hr/><p>     The next day Alya had Nino and Y/n come to school early. The brunette personally went to Y/n's house and dragged her out of bed to make sure she would be there in time. The three stood behind a pillar by the school's entrance as Chloé walked past them. "You need to have your head examined. If she's a superhero, then I'm the Wizard of Oz." Y/n frowned at Nino's words as she softly elbowed the boy. "<em>Nino,</em> don't be mean." The girl looked at Alya as she glared at Chloé's figure. "I'm telling you, she's Ladybug!"</p><p>     "Can you prove it?" Nino asked as Y/n hummed in agreement. "A good journalist always has their sources." The girl muttered before Alya grabbed Nino by his headphones and Y/n by her shirt and dragged them towards the locker room. The three waited behind a row of lockers as they waited for Chloé to be by herself. Alya wrote down a script on her phone and handed it to Nino for him to read. Nino blankly stared at it before Alya gasped and grabbed her phone back. "Now don't mess up your lines." The brunette said before pushing Nino in Chloé's direction.</p><p>     Y/n winced as the boy hit the lockers. She watched them interact and quietly groaned at Nino's nervousness. "Oh, uhhh... Ladybug! Look over there!" Nino pointed out the window and Chloé followed his line of vision with disinterest. "Uhh, what kind of lame joke is this?" Nino panicked at Chloé's question and awkwardly leaned on the locker. "Uhh, well, that was... Did you see Ladybug yesterday? Isn't she amazing? I wonder who she really is." He asked as he leaned in towards Chloé's face. The blonde looked at him skeptically before pushing him away. </p><p>     "Uhh... up too late DJ-ing, Nino? Obviously you didn't get your beauty sleep." As Chloé went back into her locker, Y/n watched Alya sneak up behind her to take a photo. Y/n sighed and began to walk towards them as Sabrina pointed to Alya accusingly. "Uh... Chloé! Alya's looking in your locker!" Alya gasped as the attention turned to her. She hid her phone behind her back and Y/n frowned as Kim walked up behind the brunette. "Uhh... that's a lie! I so was not!" Alya defended, and as Y/n reached the group, Kim grabbed Alya's phone from her.</p><p>     "Hey! Give it back!" Alya frowned as Kim held the phone over her head. He gave the phone to Chloé, who opened up the gallery and showed it to Alya with a smirk. "Who's the little liar now?" Alya huffed as she lunged for her phone. Chloé moved out of the way and Y/n caught the brunette before she fell. "Don't be a <em>dick,</em> Chloé. Give Alya back her phone." Nino and Alya looked at Y/n with wide eyes as Chloé scoffed. "You're lucky I don't talk to Mr. Damocles about that language of yours. You Americans are such savages." </p><p>     Y/n furrowed her brows and Nino knowingly placed an hand on her shoulder to hold her back. "Savages?! <em>'Savage'</em> is taking someone else's phone and invading their privacy. At least I don't bully the shit out of people to make myself feel less insecure like <em>you</em>, with your crusty makeup lookin' ass." The room became quiet at Y/n's words and Chloé turned a bright shade of pink. She huffed and snapped her fingers.</p><p>     Sabrina walked up to Chloé's side as the blonde girl pointed to the door. "Little Miss <em>Cheeseburger</em> doesn't know how to keep her mouth shut. We'll see what Mr. Damocles thinks is the real invasion of privacy. Four eyes snooping through my locker or an innocent girl just looking for proof." Chloé started to walk to the locker room's exit and Y/n frowned. Alya gave Y/n a sad smile and hugged the girl. "I'm really sorry, Alya."</p><p>     The brunette shook her head and shrugged. "You tried standing up for me, there's nothing wrong with that." Nino frowned at the brunette as Kim waited for Alya at the door. "We can go in with you if you want." Nino asked, and the brunette shook her head. "I don't want to get you guys in trouble too." Y/n sighed as Alya followed Sabrina, Chloé, and Kim to the principal's office. Nino patted the girl's back and led her towards the door. "Come on, we can wait for her in class." He said as Y/n frowned and the two walked out of the locker room.</p><hr/><p>     Chloé, Sabrina, and Kim walked into the room as the class started. Y/n gasped as the bell rang and Alya didn't walk into the class. Chloé sauntered over to Y/n's seat and leaned into her ear. "Next time, watch yourself, Hotdog. Or else you'll get suspended like your reporter friend." She said before walking back to her seat. Y/n glared at the blonde before making eye contact with Nino. The boy looked at Y/n with worried eyes, and she mouthed the words <em>"Alya was suspended."</em> Nino frowned as Y/n slouched in her seat. Ivan asked if she was alright from the left of her, and the girl softly nodded as she took out her tablet. </p><p>     Twenty minutes after the class started Marinette snuck into the room. Y/n smiled and rolled her eyes as the girl clumsily sat down. Marinette looked at the empty seat to her left and turned around to face Y/n. "Where's Alya?" The girl frowned at the bluenette's question as she leaned in to Marinette's ear. "She's been suspended..." Y/n muttered, and the bluenette jumped up from her seat with wide eyes. "<em>What?!</em>" Y/n sunk into her seat as Ms. Bustier looked at Marinette.</p><p>      "Marinette, if you're going to come late, would you please do it discretely?" Marinette blushed as she sat back down. "Sorry..." She muttered and leaned back to Y/n. "What happened to her?" Y/n frowned as she thought back to the morning's events. "She tried looking into Chloé's locker for proof that she was Ladybug. Instead she was caught and was accused of breaking in." Y/n sighed as Marinette jumped back up again with wide eyes. "<em>WHAT?!?</em>"</p><p>     "That's it, Marinette! Go to the principal's office!" Ms. Bustier set down her papers and pointed to the classroom door. Marinette sighed as she grabbed her things. Y/n frowned and made eye contact with Nino as Marinette walked out of the class. Adrien watched the two make eye contact and leaned in to Nino's ear. "What's Y/n talking about?" Nino turned to Adrien with a nod. "Exactly what she said, bro. Alya says Chloé is Ladybug! She is crazy!" Adrien glanced at Chloé with skeptical eyes. Chloé winked at the blond before he looked back at his tablet confused.</p><p>     About ten minutes later, the projector turned on in the middle of class. Y/n gasped as Alya showed up on the screen in Mr. Damocles' office. "I'm Lady Wifi, revealer of the truth! For our first exposé, your principal would like to share a little tidbit with you. So, Mr. Damocles, is it true you wrongly suspended a student named Alya today?" Lady Wifi asked as she smirked and leaned on Mr. Damocles, and the principal sighed and nodded. "Uh... yes, it is."</p><p>     "So, you were biased? Unfair? Totally unjust?!" She asked and the man nodded again. "Yes, I was." Lady Wifi leaned towards the screen with a smile. "For my next scoop, I'll be taking you to meet the girl who's been hiding behind the Ladybug mask!" Mr. Damocles looked at Lady Wifi with wide eyes, but before he could stand up, she sent a stop button onto him from her phone. "Stay connected!" She said as she smirked to the camera and it turned off. Y/n sat at the edge of the seat as she waited for the teacher to dismiss her.</p><p>     "Everyone, for your own safety, go directly home right now! And don't forget to read chapters four and five!" Ms. Bustier called out. Y/n was the first to jump out of the desk and burst through the classroom door at the teacher's words. Her classmates made a beeline towards the exit and Y/n ran towards the bathroom door. She locked herself into a stall and set her backpack onto the floor. As she opened the front pocket, Vinca flew out lazily. "Come on, Vinca. We got to help save Alya."</p><p>     "I thought you said you'd rather help out on the side rather than help catch akumas." The kwami asked as she skeptically looked at the girl and Y/n sighed. "It's my fault Alya got in trouble. If I'd kept my mouth shut Chloé wouldn't have taken Alya to the principal and she wouldn't have gotten akumatized." Vinca frowned at the girl's words and shook her head.</p><p>     "You did the right thing, standing up for your friend. If anything, it's <em>Chloé's</em> fault, not yours." Y/n softly smiled at her kwami and gave her a small kiss on the forehead. "Thanks, Vinca." Vinca scrunched up her nose at the affection, but gave the girl a small smile. "Yeah, yeah. Enough with the sappiness. Let's go save your best friend!" Y/n beamed and nodded. "Vinca, let's fly!"</p><hr/><p>     "What? This can't be!" Chat Noir muttered as he zoomed in on Chloé with his staff phone. Y/n landed next to him on the building and scoffed. "Stalker much?" Chat Noir looked at the girl with wide eyes as he shrugged. "I wasn't stalking. I was just—" Hummingbird rolled her eyes as the real Ladybug landed on the roof with them. Her eyes widened as she saw Hummingbird standing next to the black cat hero. "Come on, you don't actually believe she's the real Ladybug. They don't even have the same hair color." Hummingbird smirked as she extended the grip of her bow and zoomed into Chloé's room.</p><p>     Ladybug glanced at Hummingbird with a skeptical eyes before looking at Chloé through her yo-yo phone, who was currently tied up in her own yo-yo. Chat Noir glanced at to Hummingbird and softly smirked before looking back to his staff phone. "Yeah, of course not." Y/n smiled at the boy's answer and leaned against the building wall as Ladybug scoffed. "Who would believe that <em>she's</em> the original Ladybug? She's obviously just a die-hard fan."</p><p>     "Maybe some would call it a copycat?" Hummingbird muttered and Chat Noir giggled at the callback to their last partnership. Y/n felt a smile grow on her face as Chat Noir turned to her with a smirk. "Right." As the three heroes waited for the villian to show up, Ladybug turned to Y/n with furrowed brows. "I'm not saying that I'm not grateful, but why are you helping us out with this girl's akuma?" Y/n froze at the girl's question and shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with helping the <em>Chat de ruelle et Cocinelle</em> once in a while, is there?"</p><p>     Ladybug stared at Hummingbird with skeptical eyes, but decided against questioning the girl further. The heroes stood in silence for a while as they waited for some action to spark. Soon enough, a bright pink glow filled the room. Ladybug brought out her yo-yo phone to see inside the room and gasped. "We got Wifi!" Ladybug shouted and the three heroes made their way to the hotel. As they burst into the room, Lady Wifi stared at them blankly. "Who are you?" The three heroes dropped out of their fighting stances and Chat Noir smirked as he began to flex his muscles.</p><p>     Hummingbird rolled her eyes at the boy as she examined the situation. Chloé, who was tied up in her own yo-yo, had a pink pause button on her back and was being broadcasted from a bright pink camera button above her head. Lady Wifi glanced at Chloé and huffed. "But I thought <em>you </em>were Ladybug!" Chat Noir smirked at the brunette as he shrugged. "Sorry to bust your news story." He said and Hummingbird nodded in agreement.</p><p>     "Next time, double-check your facts. A <em>good</em> reporter always checks their sources." Y/n smirked, as she thought back to the advice she gave the girl earlier that day. Lady Wifi growled as she used her phone to delete all the pink icons. "You'll be sorry." She muttered as Chloé fell to the ground with a yelp. "Alya?" Ladybug asked as she looked at the girl with a frown. "Alya's been disconnected. I'm Lady Wifi. News flash! Ladybug, let's find out who you really are!" Lady Wifi smirked as she began to send pause buttons the heroes' way. </p><p>     Y/n let out a small yelp as she jumped out of the way and turned towards her allies. "Follow me!" The girl called out to them as she ran towards the exit. The three dodged a couple of pause buttons as Y/n led them towards the stairs. "So what's the plan?" Ladybug asked as they made their way down the flight of stairs. "She gets her powers from her phone, so let's lead her to the basement, where there is no service!" Hummingbird huffed as she looked to see if Lady Wifi was following them.</p><p>     "No service, no power. Nice one, <em>Colibri!</em>" Chat Noir smiled at the girl as they continued to run down. Ladybug stopped to look for the brunette and gasped as she moved out of the way of a pink pause button flying towards her. "We've gotta go lower!" Ladybug called out as she followed Chat Noir and Hummingbird down. "I've got you now, Ladybug!" Lady Wifi laughed and the trio finally reached the bottom of the stairs. "Get ready!" Hummingbird called out to them as they started to get into a fighting stance. </p><p>     "So, what do you guys do when you're not Ladybug and Hummingbird?" Chat Noir asked the girls with a smirk. Ladybug looked at Chat Noir in confusion as Y/n glanced at him before rolling her eyes. "Can't you see we're a little bit busy right now?" Y/n muttered to him. Ladybug frowned as she heard a door open and close. "She's gone back into the hotel!" The three heroes began to run back up the flight of stairs and Y/n groaned as they reached the first door. "She locked all the doors!" The girl pointed to the pink lock button on the door as Ladybug sighed. </p><p>     "Hey, you realize we all might actually know each other in normal life." Chat Noir smiled as the three of them continued to run up the stairs. Ladybug shook her head at the boy's words and Y/n bit her lip at the irony. "Doubt it. It's locked!" The bluenette called out as Y/n held in a giggle. "Is he <em>always</em> like this during a battle?" The girl asked as they passed through another flight of stairs. Ladybug smiled at Y/n and gave her a small chuckle. "Now you know how I feel." The trio reached the top door and stopped in their tracks as they saw it clean of a pink lock.</p><p>     "She's left this one open." Chat Noir muttered as he grabbed his staff. Ladybug grabbed her yo-yo as she stood in front of the other two heroes. "Get ready for an ambush on three. One, two, three!" The three burst through the door and entered the dining room. Y/n set down her bow with a huff as she looked around for Lady Wifi. "Ahhh... So much for the ambush." Chat Noir furrowed his brows as he set his baton down. Ladybug frowned as she began to walk towards the tables, where each had a phone laying on them. "Follow me. Where is she hiding? And what's up with all these phones?"</p><p>     Y/n let out a small yelp as the phone next to her began to glow a bright pink light. Chat Noir pushed the girl out of the way as Lady Wifi appeared and sent a pause button her way. Ladybug tried to tie up the brunette with her yo-yo, but the girl smirked and disappeared. Lady Wifi reappeared above a different phone and laughed. "Ha! You can't get me!" Ladybug frowned as she started to spin her yo-yo. "Yes I can." Ladybug smiled as she began to break the phones with her yo-yo and Y/n beamed at her brilliance. She got onto a table and shot arrows at the phones as Chat Noir broke phones with his staff. </p><p>     Lady Wifi growled before running into the kitchen. Ladybug followed and Hummingbird frowned to herself as the door closed and pink lock button appeared. "No, no, no... Hold on in there, Ladybug!" Chat Noir frowned as he banged on the kitchen door. Y/n took out her bow and extended the grip to look at the map of the hotel. "Of course! The service elevator!" Y/n beamed as she ran to the room above them. Chat Noir followed and as they reached the elevator Y/n grimaced at the small box. "So are we gonna take turns or are we squeezing in?" Chat Noir smirked as he stood behind Y/n. The girl rolled her eyes before pushing the boy into the box and pressing the button to go down.</p><p>     Y/n patiently waited for elevator to come back, and she hurriedly pushed the button and made her way to the kitchen. As soon as she stepped out of the box, Lady Wifi pushed Hummingbird into the freezer with Chat Noir. Y/n let out a yelp as her back hit the boy, and Chat Noir gasped as his ring fell off his finger. "My ring! Hummingbird! Don't look." Adrien frowned as he got on all fours. "Ooh... so chilly in here." Plagg whispered, and Y/n huffed. The girl began to shiver as she also got on all fours to look for Adrien's ring. "Where is it? I could use a little help!" </p><p>     "What do you think I'm doing? Taking a nap?" Y/n huffed as she continued to look for the ring. She made sure to keep her back turned away from the boy in order to keep up the "secret identity" act.  The two teenagers and kwami began to shiver even harder as they continued to look around the freezer. "I'll get you out of there, guys!" Y/n heard Ladybug's muffled voice from the other side of the door. Adrien sighed as he let out a loud shiver. "Take your time!"</p><p>     Y/n began to panic as she heard Ladybug call out her Lucky Charm on the other side. <em>God damn it, it's now or never.</em> "Speeding Hum!" Adrien and the freezer's air conditioning began to stop in place as Y/n let out a loud groan. "I— I could've saved this to c—capture the akuma, but no! Adrien's ring said 'Fuck it, I'm slipping off in the middle of battle!'" Y/n huffed as she quickly looked around the floor. She beamed as she found the small silver ring under a shelf. "Gotcha!" She smiled as she walked over to Adrien. She set the ring in front of him and turned back to face the door. She sat patiently as she heard time go back to speed and Adrien gasped. </p><p>     "Y—You used your power to find my ring?" Adrien asked the girl, and Y/n hummed a small yes. Adrien placed the ring on his finger and looked at the back of Hummingbird's head with worried eyes. "Promise me you didn't look, <em>Colibri.</em>" Y/n's brows furrowed and she pursed her lips at the statement. "I promise I didn't look, Alleycat." She mumbled, as she gave him a small nod. Adrien sighed softly to himself, convincing his mind that she was being truthful, and stood up. "Plagg, claws out!" </p><p>     Y/n saw a green light fill in the room and a few seconds after Chat Noir transformed, the door flung open. "You guys okay?" Ladybug asked the two heroes as they fell to the floor. Her earring began to beep and Y/n watched a dot disappear. "You used your Lucky Charm..." Chat Noir muttered, and Y/n frowned to herself as her necklace also let out a beep. The top left pink petal turned silver, and the girl slowly stood up. "There's not much time left." Hummingbird mumbled, and Ladybug nodded in agreement.</p><p>       "Open the kitchen door!" Chat Noir told Ladybug as he got up from the floor. Y/n shook her head as she pointed to the broken microwave. "We can't, microwave's busted." Ladybug sighed and began to look around the room. She smiled as an idea popped up in her head. She pulled Hummingbird and Chat Noir in and whispered into their ears. "Chat, you go and bust the wifi antenna with your Cataclysm. When he has Lady Wifi distracted, Hummingbird, you take the phone away from her." </p><p>     "Got it." Y/n smiled at the heroine as Chat Noir giggled and placed a pan over the camera icon. He grabbed Hummingbird's wrist as ran over to the service elevator and Y/n grimaced when they reached the small box. "I'll go and jam the wi-fi antenna, you hide and wait to get Lady Wifi off guard." Chat Noir smiled as he got into the box. "I— I'll just wait..." Y/n was ready press the button to send Chat Noir by himself but Ladybug rolled her eyes and huffed. "There's no time, Hummingbird! Good luck!" She said as she pushed Y/n into the box. Y/n awkwardly smiled at Chat Noir.</p><p>     The service elevator was small, so she was sitting across from Chat Noir with her knees to her chest. The boy had his legs on either side of the girl, and he gave her a awkward laugh. "This isn't exactly ideal..." He muttered and Y/n nodded her head. "Tell me about it." The two heroes stayed quiet as they waited for the elevator to ding. As soon as the door opened Lady Wifi jumped out from the elevator. Chat Noir grabbed Hummingbird's hand and dragged her out of the service elevator as Lady Wifi sent blasts their way. </p><p>     As they made their way to the rooftop, Y/n used her body to block off the door. Chat Noir smiled as he saw the wi-fi antenna. "Here you are! Cataclysm!" Before he could touch the antenna, it started to electrify pink and Lady Wifi appeared at the top of it. "Nice idea, kitty cat, but I'm not gonna let you cut me off so easily!" She began to send blasts their way and Y/n counteracted them with arrows. "I'll distract her, you cut the signal!" Y/n covered Chat Noir as she sent blunt-tipped arrows at Lady Wifi.</p><p>      She kept dodging the arrows and that gave Chat Noir the window of opportunity to reach the signal. "Nooooo!" Lady Wifi screamed as she fell to the floor. Y/n smirked as Chat Noir landed next to her. "Looks like you're out of signal!" Y/n smiled, and the brunette growled. Chat Noir took out his baton and lunged himself at her. "Gimme that phone!"</p><p>     Chat Noir tried grabbed the phone but Lady Wifi managed to pin Chat Noir to the ground. She let out a laugh but it quickly died down as Y/n grabbed the phone and broke it as she threw it to the ground. Lady Wifi gasped as Y/n pinned her to the ground. Ladybug bursted through the rooftop door as the akuma started to fly away. "No more evildoing for you, little akuma. Time to de-evilize!" Ladybug did the whole purifying action with her yo-yo and Y/n got off of Lady Wifi as Ladybug caught the akuma. "Gotcha!" </p><p>     "Bye bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug threw her Lucky Charm to the air and the blast of ladybugs turned everything back to normal. Y/n smiled as Lady Wifi turned back to Alya. "What?" The brunette asked as she sat up on the floor. Y/n smiled at her and looked at Chat Noir and Ladybug for their usual 'Pound it'. Y/n was surprised to see the two heroes looking at her expectantly with their fists out. "Well?" Chat Noir smirked, and Y/n's eyes widened at the small gesture. "No, I can't. That's <em>your</em> thing—"</p><p>      Ladybug rolled her eyes and huffed. She walked over to Y/n she grabbed her wrist and had Y/n make a fist. "Pound it!" Ladybug and Chat Noir shouted as the three heroes fists met at the middle. Y/n smiled to herself as Alya jumped up. "Ladybug! Chat Noir! Wow! <em>And</em> Hummingbird! Can I get a quick interview? Just let me grab my phone!" Y/n watched the brunette run for her phone as her Miraculous let out another beep. She panicked as she looked at the petals, and the only pink one left was the top one. "Uhh... gotta go. You guys should head out too. 'Til next time!"</p><p>      Y/n waved at her superhero friends as they ran into the building. She quickly jumped off the hotel and landed in an alleyway a couple streets down. She looked around to make sure there was no witnesses or cameras and let out a sigh of relief. "Let's land." Y/n muttered, and her kwami let out an exhausted groan. "That was <em>way</em> too close." Vinca muttered. Y/n let out a sigh as she realized she didn't have her backpack with her. "I left my backpack at the school bathroom. I have half of a granola bar in my pocket." Vinca scrunched her face in disgust, but her growling stomach made her sigh. "Gimme."</p><hr/><p>      Y/n hummed to herself as she walked onto the metro. She had her mini backpack on and was on her way back home from Marinette's house. Alya had gotten a new phone and Marinette invited Alya and Y/n to her house to hang out. As the girl stood in the metro car her eyes were drawn to a boy with blond hair that was hiding in the seats. Y/n pulled out her phone and opened Adrien's contact.</p><p>
  <em>turn around</em>
</p><p>     At the text, the blond boy shot up and made eye contact with Y/n. "Hey!" Adrien smiled. He looked around the cart to make sure it was empty and walked over to her. "What are you doing here? Where's your bodyguard?" Y/n asked the boy as she looked around the carts. The boy awkwardly laughed and shrugged. "I kind of... snuck out of my Chinese class." Y/n's eyes widened at the boys words and she shook her head. "Dude, you're going to get in <em>so</em> much trouble!" Y/n took out her phone to text Skylar, but Adrien jumped and grabbed the phone out of her hands. </p><p>     "No! Please don't text your aunt, Y/n. I <em>really</em> want to go to this arcade, but I knew my dad was going to say no. I get that you're worried for me, Y/n, but I <em>really</em> need a break right now." The boy held the girl's hands as he looked at her with sad eyes. The girl did her best not to let her guard down. She furrowed her brows as she shook her head. Y/n looked at the boy as she quietly sighed. "Adrien..."</p><p>     "<em>Please,</em> Y/n." Adrien said, holding her hands tighter. Y/n groaned as she pulled her hands back. "<em>Fine,</em> Adrien. What arcade are you going to?" The boy beamed at her words as he grabbed his phone and pulled up the maps app. Y/n looked at the place, La Tête Dans Les Nuages, and quietly sighed as she looked at the address. "You're on the wrong metro, Adrien. I'm newer to Paris than you but I at least know how to read a map." Adrien blushed in embarrassment as he realized his mistake, and he let out a laugh.</p><p>     "It's not my fault I was being chased by a gorilla looking six foot man." Y/n rolled her eyes as she looked Adrien up and down. "You're going to the arcade in <em>that?</em> Are you <em>trying</em> to get caught?" Adrien looked at his clothes before looking at Y/n in confusion. "Uh... No? What's wrong with my clothes?" Y/n huffed as the train neared her stop. "Your bodyguard will spot you from a mile away! You need a serious lesson in Camouflage 101."</p><p>     Y/n smirked as the train came to a stop. She grabbed Adrien's wrist and smiled. "Come on! Keep your head down and follow me!" Adrien yelped as they ran up the stairs and in the direction of Y/n's apartment building. "Where are we going?" Y/n smiled at boy as they continued to run. "My place! I'll give you some clothes so you can go to the arcade unnoticed!" Adrien smiled at the girl as they continued to run.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>ahhhhhhh im so excited to write the next chapter!! i can finally get some action goin on!!</p><p>i hope you liked the chapter!! please leave a comment or a kudos if you want! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Airhead</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Y/n grimaced as she showed Adrien her phone. "Crap, I didn't know it was so late! How much time were we in the arcade for?" Adrien opened his phone to see multiple missed calls and texts from the bodyguard and Nathalie. "Apparently two hours." Y/n muttered as she opened George's text.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>some stuff you should know!!</p><p>(f/b)- Favorite Band<br/>(f/i/f)- Favorite Ice cream Flavor</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     "Tell me again why you dragged me to your house." Adrien asked as he and Y/n reached the apartment door. Y/n smiled at him as she reached for her house keys in her bag. "You need a disguise if you want to go out in public without getting recognized. I'm here to be your costumer, Mr. Agreste." Y/n opened the door and bowed as she waited for the blond to walk in. Adrien rolled his eyes and giggled at her antics before curtsying and walking inside the apartment. </p><p>     Y/n followed and turned on the living room lights as she closed the door behind her. Adrien looked around the apartment with a smile. It was quite homey. To the right of the door was the living room, along with a glass door leading to the balcony. To the left was the kitchen and dining area. The kitchen was quite large and had an island. The brown, rectangular dining table was more tucked into the corner. In front of them was a long hallway with three doors, two on the left and one on the right.</p><p>     Y/n walked past the first one and pointed to it. "That's the bathroom, if you need it. Don't go into this one, this is my aunt and uncle's room." She said as she pointed across the hall to the door on the right. "Do you say that all the time? 'My aunt and uncle.'" Adrien asked as they walked through the second door on the left and Y/n turned on the lights. Adrien took in the layout of the room as Y/n looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" She asked as she set her mini backpack on her desk.</p><p>     When walking through the door, which was in the corner of the room, the bed was in the upper left corner with a bedside drawer next to it. To the right of the door was the desk-vanity and chair. To the left of the desk was a full length mirror. On the right wall was the entrance to the closet and next to it was a dresser with medium-sized, smart TV on it. </p><p>     Across the room was a glass door leading to a very small balcony with a chair and small table. "Well, it's got to get tiring saying 'aunt and uncle' everytime, right? There has to be a collective word for it. Instead of always saying 'my sister and brother' you say siblings. Instead of 'my mom and dad' you say parents. There has to be one for 'my aunt and uncle', y'know?" Adrien smiled as he leaned on doorframe. </p><p>     Y/n looked at the blond boy blankly before smiling and shrugging. "I never really thought of it. If I'm being honest here, I don't always call them 'aunt and uncle'. We're not too far in age, my grandparents had George really late and my dad really early. George and Skylar are comfortable with me calling them by their first names, and that's <em>a lot</em> better than always saying 'Uncle George' or 'Aunt Skylar'. That just doesn't sit right with me." Y/n walked over to her closet and began to skim through the clothes. Adrien walked up behind her and nervously laughed as Y/n skimmed past the dresses. "Please don't tell me you're gonna have me go to the arcade with a dress or a blouse."</p><p>     "I dunno, I'm sure many people would pay money to see you as a femboy. Tempting, don't you think?" Y/n smirked as she grabbed a white blouse and held it up to Adrien's figure. The boy laughed as he pushed her hand away from him. "Seriously though, what are you looking for?" He asked and Y/n beamed as she pulled out the hoodie. "This beauty!" The girl said as she held it up to the boy's figure. It was an extra large, black hoodie with a small white f/b symbol on the left peck. Adrien looked at it blankly as he took off the hanger and handed it to Y/n.</p><p>     "What's this symbol?" Adrien asked as Y/n closed the closet door and started to rummage through her desk drawers. "That's f/b. Ever heard of them?" The boy shook his head as he watched the girl go through her drawers. "No, I mostly listen to Jagged Stone." Y/n glanced at him with confusion, the name of the artist sounding awfully familiar. She smiled to herself as she recalled where she heard the name from. "Marinette <em>loves</em> that Jagger guy! You two should seriously talk or become friends or something, you two have a lot in common. Besides, it's kind of annoying to switch between friend groups every other day." </p><p>     The boy looked at Y/n with confusion at her words. "That's not a bad idea, but I feel like Marinette doesn't really like me. She always looks really uncomfortable whenever I try talking to her." Adrien muttered as he sat down on the edge of the bed. Y/n softly giggled to herself as she pulled out a pair of sunglasses. <em>Oh, the irony.</em> "No, she likes you. She's just... scared of making a bad impression, is all. You see, Marinette really likes designing and the fashion industry. Your dad's a literal millionaire from that stuff and your his model son. Anyone who wants to get a seat in that field would kill for this kind of opportunity, y'know?" </p><p>     "But then if I keep making friends like that, how do I know if they actually want to be my friend? How do I know if they aren't just trying to get a glimpse of the high social class and paparazzi life?" Adrien frowned as he looked at the girl. She looked at him with sad eyes as she sat gave him the pair of glasses. "You'll know when people like that come your way. Your instincts are strong when it comes to stuff like that. Take Nino and me, for example. Nino, who apparently was a loner last year, opened up to you because he thought you were cool. Sure I met you off of Nino, but I also think <em>you're</em> cool, not the 'Mr. Perfect' boy that you're forced to be. Marinette is just a nervous girl, an overthinker. She wouldn't, in <em>any</em> way, try to use you or profit off knowing you like others might."</p><p>     Y/n gave Adrien a soft smile and a pat on the back before standing up and walking to her dresser. She began looking through the drawers as Adrien looked at the hoodie in his hands. "I guess you're right." The boy muttered as he started to take off the white flannel and Y/n turned around to smile at him before she realized what was happening. "<em>Woah,</em> there, Buckaroo. I think the fuck not. The clothes stay on." She jumped up and ran to him as she yanked his hands away from his flannel. Adrien looked at her with furrowed brows and huffed. "I'm going to die of a heat stroke in this!"</p><p>     "Suck it up, Agreste. I'd rather you melt a little than have any trace of you being here. Besides, we'll be inside most of the time. There's this magical thing called air conditioning." Y/n smirked at him and walked back to her dresser as he threw the black hoodie on over his clothes. She smiled as she pulled out a Buzzfeed Unsolved hat from the drawers and walked over to the blond boy. "We'll?" Adrien asked with a smirk. Y/n pursed her lips as she felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. </p><p>     "Sorry, I assumed Nino and I would go with you. Unless you're going to an arcade all by yourself, because if that's the case that's pretty damn sad." Y/n frowned as she ruffled Adrien's hair and placed the hat backwards on him. The boy let out a laugh as he placed the sunglasses on the top of his head. "It'd be way more fun if you and Nino came! I was just teasing you, Y/n." He said with a smile.</p><p>     Y/n rolled her eyes before pointing to the boy's feet. "You should roll up your jeans. Simple gesture, but it does wonders. Trust me, I know." Adrien did as he was told and rolled up his jeans. As he looked around the room, looking at the girl's Marvel posters and Animal Crossing figurines, Y/n took out her phone and opened Nino's contact.</p><p>
  <em>yoooo nino adrien snuxk out of his house and is going to the arcade wanna come? </em>
</p><p>     Y/n watched the three dots appear as she grabbed her mini backpack and looked up to the boy, who was admiring himself in the full length mirror. "This hoodie is big on me, so it must be gigantic on you. Did this belong to boyfriend back in America?" Adrien smirked at the girl and Y/n rolled her eyes as she shook her head. "It's called wanting to be comfortable, Adrien." She muttered as she turned off the room's lights and walked to the living room. Adrien followed her, softly closing the door behind him. </p><p>     <em>Nino 🎧: hahahaha snuxk</em></p><p>
  <em>shut up </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Nino 🎧: id love to go dude but my parents are making me babysit my lil bro chris. be careful tho! dont get caught or adriens daddio will probably ban you too &gt;:))))</em>
</p><p>
  <em>ur a dick but well miss you ;(((( have fun babysitting chris</em>
</p><p>     "Nino can't make it. He's babysitting Chris. We can invite Alya and Marinette, if you want?" Y/n asked as they walked out the apartment door. Adrien hummed in thought as she locked the door. "I mean we could, but I feel like it'd be best if we kept a low profile." The two began to walk towards the elevator and Y/n looked at Adrien skeptically. The boy sheepishly smiled as he placed the sunglasses on his face.</p><p>     "Besides, no offense to you three, but I really don't want to be a fourth wheel, since I don't really know them that well." Adrien smirked as the elevator door opened and they walked out of the apartment complex. "I doubt fourth wheels actually exists. <em>Technically,</em> if we invited them you could get to know Alya and Marinette better, make friends with them, and I wouldn't have to suffer at school between eating with you and Nino or with Alya and Marinette, but I'm not in the mood to argue with you right now. Let's try to hurry so we can make it to the next metro ride. It leaves in twenty minutes."</p><hr/><p>     When they first entered the building, Y/n could not believe how big the arcade was. Not to mention how expensive it was. Adrien offered to pay for it all, and Y/n had no choice but to accept. The two had buckets of tokens and spent nearly two hours playing the different types of games and rides. From Just Dance, to Mario Kart, to Air Hockey, the two teens were having a blast. That was until Y/n caught a glance of Adrien's bodyguard at the entrance. Y/n gasped as she dropped her ski ball and quickly dragged Adrien away from his game of Pacman. "Hey!" The boy frowned as Y/n dragged him to the corner of the arcade near the basketball games.</p><p>     "Dude, your bodyguard is here! I thought I told you to turn off your location!" Y/n shook her head as Adrien pulled out his phone and frowned. "I did turn it off!" He said as he showed her his phone screen. Y/n looked at it before glancing at the bodyguard, who was standing near the air hockey tables. "How did you pay?" Y/n asked as she made eye contact with the boy.</p><p>     Adrien looked at her with confusion before pulling out his wallet. "With my credit card?" He said, and Y/n let out a large groan. "You can track credit cards, stupid. Nathalie or your dad probably saw the transaction for all those tokens you bought and sent the gorilla guy here." Y/n grabbed Adrien's wrist and led him to the door. She gave her bucket of half empty tokens to a little kid waiting in line as the two teens walked outside. </p><p>     "Can we do an escape room? HintHunt Paris is nearby." Adrien beamed as he grabbed Y/n's hand and led the girl towards the metro entrance. Y/n huffed as she pulled her hand back and shook her head. "How exactly are we going to pay for that? Why don't we save that for another time when our friends can join us. How about we get some ice cream instead?" Y/n started to walk down the street and Adrien pouted. The girl took out her phone and opened the maps app. "There's an ice cream parlor two blocks down. GROM Montorgueil. We can walk." Y/n glanced at the boy, and Adrien gave her a smile. "Sounds good to me!" </p><p>     After a fifteen minute walk, the two teens walked inside the parlor and ordered their ice cream cones. Y/n offered to pay with cash, and the blond sheepishly nodded. The two sat outside at the small table and Y/n let out a small sigh of relief. She started to eat her (f/i/f) ice cream as Adrien took off his hat and sunglasses. "What are you doing?" Y/n muttered to the boy as she looked around the street. Adrien blinked at her before shrugging and sinking into his chair. "Enjoying my mint chocolate chip ice cream without a tight hat making my head sweat."</p><p>     "Shane and Ryan did nothing to you, don't you <em>ever</em> disrespect the ghoul boys like that again." Y/n muttered as she licked her ice cream and Adrien let out a small giggle. Y/n ignored the feeling that they were being watched as the two sat in silence and watched the cars passed by. Y/n softly cursed under her breath as her phone dinged from two separate texts. The time read 6:28 pm, and the two messages were from George and Skylar.</p><p>     <em>George ✨: Are you home yet from Marinette's? You never texted me and I'm getting a little scared, N/n.</em></p><p>
  <em>     Skylar 💫: Is Adrien with you by any chance? He was supposed to come home from a photoshoot twenty minutes ago but according to his teacher he never even showed up to his Chinese lesson. Please let me know, Mr. Agreste is very worried.</em>
</p><p>     Y/n grimaced as she showed Adrien her phone. "Crap, I didn't know it was so late! How much time were we in the arcade for?" Adrien opened his phone to see multiple missed calls and texts from the bodyguard and Nathalie. "Apparently two hours." Y/n muttered as she opened George's text.</p><p>
  <em>i made it home but i went out again to get some ice cream. pls dont be mad my phone was on silent :(</em>
</p><p>     Before the girl could respond to Skylar's text, a sleek, gray car pulled up in front of the two teens. Y/n watched Adrien's face pale and she held her breath as she noticed the bodyguard in the driver's seat and Nathalie in the passenger seat. <em>How'd they find out where we were?</em> Y/n watched nervously as the bodyguard got out of the car and opened the back door while making eye contact with Adrien. The blond boy sadly waved at the girl before giving her a smile. "I had a lot of fun today, Y/n." He muttered as he handed her the sunglasses and hat from off the table.</p><p>     Y/n put the hat and sunglasses in her bag and gave the blond boy a small wave. She watched Adrien get into the car and expected the guy to get back in the driver's seat and speed away, but the bodyguard closed the door and walked to the other side to open the door behind Nathalie. Y/n timidly walked up to the car as Nathalie rolled down her window. "Mr. Agreste would like to speak to you, Y/n." Y/n's eyes widened as she remembered the last time Gabriel wanted to talk to her. She let out a soft sigh and nodded. "Thank you, Ms. Sancoeur." She muttered before entering the back seat. Y/n looked around the car nervously, scared that her shoes might've gotten the pristine floor dirty or sandy. </p><p>     Adrien gave the girl a reassuring smile as they sat in silence and drove to the Agreste Mansion. Y/n felt jittery as the car pulled into the courtyard and parked in front of the steps. Y/n sat there patiently, unsure if she should just open the door herself or if the bodyguard would do it, and her mind wandered to the possibilities of what Gabriel Agreste would do to her. <em>Oh my god, I'm so dead. The dude is probably gonna ban me from his house and fire Skylar on the spot. Because of me, Skylar's career is over. She's gonna hate me so much and I'll have to move back to America and my parents are going to— </em>"Y/n?" Adrien held back the urge to laugh as he looked at the girl. Y/n realized she had spaced out and Adrien opened the door for her. </p><p>     "Mr. Agreste is waiting for you, Y/n." Nathalie reminded the girl as Adrien helped her get out of the car. He gave the girl a small pat on the shoulder as they walked up the mansion's steps. "You'll be okay, Y/n." He muttered before Nathalie led her up the stairs and to Mr. Agreste's office. When Nathalie opened the door for her, Y/n's eyes met Skylar's, who was stuck in the far back corner with a computer and many papers scattered around her desk. "Y/n?" Skylar asked as she looked at the girl in surprise. Y/n sent her a small waved and nervously smiled as Gabriel Agreste walked away from his large tablet.</p><p>     "Skylar, will you please excuse us? I must have a word with your niece." He said, and Skylar looked at Y/n with incredulous eyes. "Yes, Mr. Agreste." She muttered as she picked up a pile of papers and walked past the girl. Skylar gave her a small pat on the shoulder as she walked out of the room. Nathalie stayed at the door and Y/n began to wring her hands behind her back anxiously. Y/n made eye contact with the man and did her best not to cower. "How can I help you, sir?" </p><p>     "What are your intentions with Adrien, Miss L/n?" Gabriel asked the girl, and Y/n looked at him in shock. "Nothing, sir. Adrien is just a friend." She said as she set her hands down to her side. Gabriel looked at her skeptically before taking a step closer. "Explain to me this, then. You see that Adrien has escaped from his bodyguard, and instead of texting your aunt or sending him back home, you <em>run off with him</em> to the arcade? Something isn't adding up here, Miss L/n." </p><p>     Y/n felt anger and nervousness bubble up inside her. She shook her head at the man's words and managed to make eye contact with him without trembling. "I'm sorry, sir, but your perception of this is all wrong. I'm not like all the other girls in Paris who chase Adrien around for a picture or glance of him. I could care less if he were a model or not. I genuinely only see him as a friend, and I will treat him as such. When I saw him in the metro earlier today I tried texting Skylar, but he stopped me and explained that he really needed a break. You can't blame me for wanting to help." </p><p>     The room was quiet as Gabriel looked at the girl skeptically. Y/n felt anxiety rise in her again as the man walked back to his tablet. "Adrien has a history of running away and being disobedient from time to time. If you truly want to be his friend, then you will alert Nathalie or Skylar of his presence and make sure my son is safe at all times. Do I make myself clear?" Y/n looked at the man in disbelief. "Are you using me as a surveillance tool for your son? Sir—"</p><p>     "Are you turning down my offer, Miss L/n? Because if that's the case, I will not hesitate to ban you from this mansion like I did to the last young man." Gabriel looked at Y/n from over tablet and the girl let out a small sigh. "I understand, sir. I'll... I accept your <em>offer.</em>" Y/n spit the word out with disgust as she did her best to keep a steady face. Gabriel smirked and gave the girl a small nod before looking back to his tablet. "Nathalie will give you my contact information. As well as hers and Mr. G's. You may tell your aunt that she's dismissed for the day." </p><p>     Nathalie walked over to her desk, which was near the door's entrance, and handed Y/n a slip of paper. Y/n quietly thanked her as she walked out of the door. Adrien, who was sitting at the top of the stairs, jumped up at the sound of the door opening and looked at the girl with worried eyes. "What happened? You're not banned, are you?" The blond boy asked and Y/n smiled at him as she shoved the slip of paper into her backpack. "Nope! I just got scolded because he thought I bribed you into buying all those tokens. I'll see you at school tomorrow, yeah?" Adrien look at the girl skeptically before giving her a fist bump and a wave. "If you say so. See you tomorrow, Y/n." </p><p>     Nathalie led Adrien to his room and Y/n saw Skylar waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. "Hey N/n. What was that all about?" She asked, and Y/n sighed as she gave her aunt a hug. "It's been a really long day. Can we go home? Mr. Agreste told me to tell you you're excused for the day." Skylar nodded and the two began to walk outside towards their car. As Y/n sat in the passenger seat, her phone let out a couple of dings.</p><p>     <em>Adrien 📸: (sent 1 attachment)</em></p><p>
  <em>     Adrien 📸: (sent 1 link)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Adrien 📸: I found out how Nathalie knew we were at the ice cream parlor.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Adrien 📸: You were right I should've kept the cap on, I'm really sorry.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>dude dont sweat it, what matters is that u got a well deserved break by the end of the day</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Adrien 📸: If you say so. :)</em>
</p><p>     Y/n opened the photo as Skylar began to drive home. The girl quietly sighed to herself as she realized her instincts were right. The picture was kind of blurry, and looked like it was taken behind a car, but it clearly showed Y/n and Adrien sitting down on the chairs and the GROM Montorgueil logo on the glass door. It showed Adrien's side profile more, but it was Adrien nonetheless. The link led to an news article titled <em>"Adrien Agreste and his New Girlfriend?!"</em> Y/n quietly groaned as more texts started to appear.</p><p>     <em>Nino 🎧: (sent 1 attachment) </em></p><p>
  <em>     Nino 🎧: dude i thot u and adrien were just going to an arcade</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Nino 🎧: somethin fishy is going on here</em>
</p><p>
  <em>has anyone ever told u not believe everything u see on the internet </em>
</p><p>
  <em>thot &gt;:((((</em>
</p><p>
  <em>jk but fr tho we were just gettin ice cream its literally no big deal</em>
</p><p>     <em>Nino 🎧: no worries bro i believe u. media cab be brutal these days</em></p><p>
  <em>hahahaha cab</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Nino 🎧: shut up &gt;:(</em>
</p><p>     After a couple of minutes, the car entered the parking garage, and Y/n and Skylar began walking to the apartment complex. Y/n talked to Skylar about her day as they entered the lobby. As they started walking towards the elevator, Y/n let out a small gasp as she realized, Vinca was in her backpack this whole time. The girl cringed, knowing how mad the kwami will be when they are alone, and Y/n's phone dinged again. </p><p>     <em>Alya 🔋: (sent 1 link) </em></p><p>
  <em>     Alya 🔋: Y/n???? Girl, you better explain RN!!!! </em>
</p><p>
  <em>that photo was taken out of context</em>
</p><p>
  <em>were literally just friends u should know the media likes to over exaggerate things</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Alya 🔋: I hope you talk to Marinette about this before she finds out, she's going to be so upset!!!! :(((</em>
</p><p>
  <em>marinette knows better but i will</em>
</p><p>     When they reached the floor Y/n speed walked to their door. She opened the apartment door with her keys before hanging them up and walking to the kitchen. George was in the middle of making dinner as Y/n ran around the him. She grabbed a plate as she put a bag if popcorn in the microwave. She walked over to the fridge and placed a stem of grapes and a handful of raspberries on her plate. She walked to the pantry and grabbed two granola bars as the microwave stopped.</p><p>     "Y/n, that's a lot of food. Dinner is almost ready. It's burritos!" George said as he and Skylar watched Y/n run around the kitchen. The girl grabbed the bag of popcorn and nodded as she walked towards the hallway. "Sounds good, lemme have a quick snack in my room. I'm a growing girl! Big girls have to eat!" Y/n smiled at them before entering and closing the door to her room. Y/n set the food on her desk and placed her mini backpack on her chair. She opened the pocket and Vinca glared at her through the hat, sunglasses, and paper that was shoved in the bag. "Vinca, I am so sorr—"</p><p>     "I was cramped in here for <em>TWO HOURS, </em>with<em> NO FOOD!</em>" Vinca growled as she flew out of the bag and to the plate of fruit. The kwami huffed and crossed her arms as Y/n sighed. "I'm sorry! I really am! I lost track of time and forgot to get lunch." Vinca continued to glare at the girl as she shoved the green grapes into her mouth. "You're telling me your date with Adrien is more important than your poor kwami suffering inside of a stuffy bag?"</p><p>     At that point it was Y/n's turn to glare at Vinca as she started to put away the hat and sunglasses. "First of all, it was <em>not</em> a date. Second of all, you're being dramatic. I do agree that leaving you in there for two hours was kind of brutal, but you're acting as if I starved you all day, which is not the case. You played with Tikki when I was at Marinette's house, and I gave you two a chocolate croissant." Y/n huffed at the kwami and Vinca shrugged as she stuffed a raspberry in her mouth.</p><p>     Y/n rolled her eyes as she looked at the slip of paper and added Ms. Sancoeur, Mr. Agreste, and Mr. G, the bodyguard, to her contacts list. "N/n, dinner's ready!" George called out from the dining room. Y/n looked at Vinca with a sad smile as she started to eat the popcorn. "I'm really sorry, Vinca." She frowned as she placed her mini backpack in her closet. Vinca glanced at the girl with a huff and shrugged. "You're forgiven." The kwami muttered, and Y/n smiled at her before walking out of her room.</p><hr/><p>     "Do you think I should tell Adrien about what his dad did?" Y/n asked Vinca as she set her Switch down on the table. She was in the middle of terraforming her island when the day's events passed through her head. Y/n was sitting outside on her balcony in a large t-shirt and shorts. In the middle of dinner, the air conditioning broke on their side of the building. Y/n was sweating buckets by the end of the meal, and she felt relieved when she got to sit outside in her pajamas. Vinca, who was sitting on a blanket in the table, shrugged at the girl's question. "What do you think?" </p><p>     "I don't know... If I tell him, he probably won't want to hang out with me anymore, knowing that Nathalie will technically still be breathing down his neck. If I don't tell him, and if he ever finds out, he'll probably think I'm just his friend to keep tabs on him for his dad. I just feel like if Mr. Agreste actually formed a bond with Adrien, he wouldn't need to blackmail a teenager into letting him know where his son is, y'know?" Y/n sighed as she placed her head into her hands. Vinca frowned at the girl before letting out a small yawn. "Do whatever you think is right, Y/n." She muttered before closing her eyes to sleep. Y/n glanced at the kwami before rolling her eyes. "Gee, thanks, Vinca." </p><p>     Y/n looked up and went to grab her Switch but a large, white jelly like substance landed on the table. "What the fuck?" Y/n looked at the direction where it came from as she discreetly covered Vinca in the blanket. As she looked to her left, a girl in pigtails was flying towards her on a cloud. "Who the hell are you?!" Y/n asked as she jumped out of her seat. <em>Please, please, please, don't let that be Marinette.</em> "My name is Airhead! Adrien is <em>mine!</em>" The girl shot more jelly clouds at Y/n as the girl jumped into her room and closed the glass door. "Are you kidding me?! It's 11 pm! I have school tomorrow!" The girl groaned to herself as Airhead started to fly to the balcony. Y/n ran out of her room and slammed her door shut.</p><p>     "George, Skylar, hide! There's an akuma in the building!" Y/n yelled to her aunt and uncle, who were watching TV on the couch, as she ran out the apartment door. Airhead broke the door from the girl's room and followed Y/n out of the apartment. <em>Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.</em> Y/n passed the elevator and ran to the stairs. She panicked as Airhead shot jelly to block the stairs going down, and Y/n groaned as she started running up the stairs. "You can't run from me, girl! No one deserves to be Adrien's girlfriend other than me!" </p><p>     "You really are an airhead! Has anyone ever told you not to believe everything you see on the internet?!" Y/n yelped as she continued dodging the jelly clouds and ran up the stairs. After running throught multiple flights of stairs, she reached the door leading to the rooftop and gasped for air. <em>Damn my poor endurance.</em> Y/n groaned to herself as she realized she cornered herself. The building next to her was too short for Y/n to land safely without breaking a leg or an ankle. <em>I should've known someone would've gotten akumatized for that stupid photo! If I would've went out on patrol tonight, I wouldn't be in this mess. </em></p><p>     "There's no where to run now, girlie!" Airhead growled as she got closer to her. Y/n was able to focus on her appearance closely. She had fair skin and her hair was pure white, cloud-like, and in pigtails. She had a barrette in her hair with a cloud charm on it. She wore a light pink top, black shirt, stockings, and black mary janes. <em>The akuma must be in the barrette.</em> "Dude, what are you even getting out of this? I'm <em>not</em> Adrien's girlfriend! How do you even know if that was Adrien in the picture? It was blurry as hell!" </p><p>     "Hawk Moth is giving me the power to get you out of the picture and have Adrien fall in love with me!" Airhead started to swoon, and Y/n rolled her eyes. "I'm not even <em>in</em> the picture in the first place! What are you gonna do? Trap me in a cloud and fly me to outer space?" Y/n walked up to the edge of the building as Airhead evilly smirked. "Exactly." Y/n felt her heart race as Airhead's hands started to glow white. Y/n dodged the blasts being sent her way. <em>Ladybug, Chat Noir, where are you?! </em></p><p>     Y/n let out a scream as she lost her footing. Before she knew it, she tripped over the edge of the building and was tumbling down 300 feet. Y/n squeezed her eyes shut as she held onto her necklace. <em>It's worth a try.</em> "Vinca— OOF!" Y/n's sentence was cut off as she felt a pair of arm wrap around her waist. As, Y/n opened her eyes, she saw a blur of red land on the rooftop where Airhead stood. Chat Noir, who was holding her, landed next to Ladybug and set Y/n down. "Take this girl to safety, Chat Noir. I'll take care of Airhead." Ladybug told the boy as Airhead's hands began to glow white.</p><p>     "Ladybug, I think the akuma is in her cloud barrette." Y/n told the bluenette as Chat Noir nodded wrapped his arm around Y/n's waist again. Ladybug looked at Y/n with a smile and the girl felt her cheeks flush at the bluenette's gaze. "Thank you, Y/n. Please stay safe." Ladybug took out her yo-yo and Y/n beamed as she nodded. "Hold on tight." Chat Noir told the girl with a smug smile as he extended the staff and launched himself over buildings. "You're wearing shorts, right?!" Chat Noir shouted over the wind, and Y/n blushed in embarrassment. "Of course I am, you perv!" Y/n screamed as she wrapped her arms around the hero's shoulders, not very used to the sensation of jumping over buildings in such a vulnerable state. </p><p>     Chat Noir let out a laugh as they landed on a building. Y/n was clutching him tightly and had her eyes squeezed shut. "Is it over?" She muttered as she slowly let go of him. Y/n let out a breath of relief as she sat on the rooftop and Chat Noir gave her a sad smile. "I'm really sorry you're going through all this, Y/n." He said as he sat down next to her. Y/n shrugged and laid down. "It's not your fault, kitty cat. I'm surprised you still remember my name." </p><p>     Chat Noir rolled his eyes at the nickname and nervously laughed. "Well— I— Hey, wait a minute! You weren't surprised when Ladybug knew your name!" Chat Noir looked at her skeptically and Y/n looked at him with a smirk. "That's because the journalists are snoopers and posted my name and class on the internet for all of Paris to see." Chat Noir frowned at her words and sat down with a huff. The two sat in silence and Y/n looked at Chat Noir with a small smile. "Thanks a lot for saving me back there, Chat Noir. I really owe you one." </p><p>     "Can't have a pretty face like yours be a splat on the ground now can we?" Chat Noir smirked, and Y/n rolled her eyes. "Do you always flirt with teenage girls? For all I know you could be some creepy forty-year-old playing hero." Y/n giggled as the blond boy turned a beet red. He rapidly shook his head and stood up. "I am <em>not</em> a forty-year-old man!" Chat Noir huffed and crossed his arms and Y/n laughed as she sat up. </p><p>     "I'm joking, <em>Chaton.</em> Really though, you should stop flirting with other girls if that's your lame attempt of getting over Ladybug. That's not good for anyone, especially you." Y/n pat the boy's foot and Chat Noir sat down with a huff. "<em>I'm</em> not a <em>chaton, you're</em> a <em>chaton.</em>" He muttered with a pout. Y/n smiled at him as she lightheartedly rolled her eyes. They sat in silence as Y/n patiently waited for the ladybugs fill in the sky. Y/n let out a yawn and Chat Noir patted her knee. "<em>Someone's</em> sleepy." </p><p>     "No kidding." Y/n muttered before laying back down. She looked at the stars above her as Chat Noir hummed softly. "Sorry, again. About all this happening." Chat Noir frowned and Y/n dismissed it by waving a hand. "It's <em>fine,</em> Chat Noir, really. I knew what I was signing into when I became friends with Adrien. A lot of people don't understand that the opposite genders can be friends without having sexual tension or romantic feelings." Y/n smiled at him, but felt awkward when Chat Noir shrugged. "Right..." Chat Noir muttered to himself, and Y/n glanced at him before looking at the ladybugs in the sky. Y/n stood up excitedly and beamed. "Finally! Take me home, <em>Chaton!</em> I have an island to finish terraforming!" Chat Noir huffed as he stood up. "I'm not the <em>chaton,</em> you are!"</p><hr/><p>     "Thank you for everything Ladybug and Chat Noir!" Y/n beamed at the heroes as the three of them stood on the balcony. Ladybug smiled at her before standing on the railing of the balcony. "Be careful around journalists next time, yeah? Bug out!" The bluenette used her yo-yo to jump off the building and Y/n softly smiled at her leaving figure. Chat Noir grabbed the girl's hand and pressed a small kiss on her knuckles. Y/n rolled her eyes and pushed the boy's head away with her hand. "Get out of here, <em>Chaton.</em> I have school tomorrow." </p><p>     Y/n smirked to herself as the hero's cheeks turned red of embarrassment and annoyance. She grabbed her blanket and Switch and closed the glass door as Chat Noir huffed. "Do <em>not</em> call me <em>chaton!</em>" Y/n evilly smiled and waved at him through the door. "Good night, <em>Chaton!</em>" She said before closing the curtain. She waited to hear the hero leave before opening the blanket. "Oh, Y/n! You're okay! I was so worried about you!" Vinca flew up from the fabric and hugged Y/n's cheek. Y/n was shocked at first, but felt happy at the fact that her kwami cared for her.</p><p>     "Sorry I spooked you there Vinca." Y/n smiled as the creature sighed and sat down on the bed. "You're a real idiot, you know that? Why didn't you transform?" Vinca frowned and crossed her arms. Y/n held the urge to laugh at Vinca's usual bipolar-ness as she set her Switch on it's station. "Yes, great idea, Vinca! Let me transform in front of one of Hawk Moth's victims! It's a wonderful idea to reveal my secret identity to the man who wants to steal my Miraculous." Y/n turned off the lights and laid down in her bed. Vinca let out a small huff and laid down. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Smarty pants." Before Y/n could respond, a ding went off on her phone. She quietly sighed as she grabbed her phone from off the charger and opened her messages app.</p><p>     <em>Adrien 📸: Y/n, I just watched the news, I'm so sorry you went through that!</em></p><p>
  <em>nah ur good it wasnt ur fault </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Adrien 📸: But it was! I should've left the hat and glasses on like you told me. I'm really sorry. :(</em>
</p><p>
  <em>like i said, wasnt ur fault. go to bed model boy we have school tomorrow</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Adrien 📸: I have good news though!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>and that is?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Adrien 📸: I found a collective word for aunt and uncle!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Adrien 📸: Piblings!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>ur kidding right</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Adrien 📸: Nope! It's a combination of "parent's siblings"! </em>
</p><p>
  <em>i am not calling george and skylar my piblings. good night agreste</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Adrien 📸: Good Night, Y/n!</em>
</p><p>     Y/n sighed in relief as she set her phone down. She was ready to fall asleep, but three minutes later, her phone started to ding again. Vinca groaned as Y/n sat up and the girl frowned. She grabbed her phone and opened up the messages from Marinette.</p><p>     <em>Marinette 🥖: heyyyyyy, y/n! i have good news!</em></p><p>
  <em>oh shoooot marinette i forgot to text you! u probably saw taht article about me and adrien at an ice cream parlor and i just wanna say it was taken out of context!!! adrien and i are not dating, he is my friend and my friend only. you know i wouldn't do that to you :(</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Marinette 🥖: hahaha taht</em>
</p><p>
  <em>im trying to apologize here &gt;:(((</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Marinette 🥖: dont worry i believe u haha</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Marinette 🥖: a new article came out tho you got really lucky</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Marinette 🥖: (sent 1 link)</em>
</p><p>    Y/n opened the link Marinette sent her and beamed after reading the title. <em>"Adrien Agreste's girlfriend?? DEBUNKED!"</em> The article explained how although the side profile looked like Adrien, the photo was too blurry to tell if it really was him. The fact that he had American merch and a different wardrobe was a big thing that made people believe that it was someone else. <em>Wait shit, Adrien still has my hoodie.</em> Y/n frowned at the thought before continuing to read. At the end of the article, the journalist apologized for everyone invading Y/n's privacy, and had people remember that she was only a school girl. Y/n smiled to herself as Marinette sent her another message.</p><p>     <em>Marinette 🥖: good nught y/n!!!!</em></p><p>
  <em>hahahah nught</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Marinette 🥖: shut up and go to bed &gt;:((( </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>im gonna be honest i have no clue what the bodyguard's name is i just wanted something else to call him other than tHe gOrRiLa gUy and ThE bOdYgUaRD all the time</p><p>i hope you liked the chapter!!!! pls leave a comment or a kudos if you enjoyed it!! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. The Evillustrator</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Ooh! Look, Sabrina! It's him as a superhero! And look who he's saving! It's Y/n!" Chloé smirked as she picked up the sketchbook from the floor and flipped through the pages. Y/n turned a light shade of pink as the class looked her way. "Uh—" Y/n glanced at Nathaniel as he avoided eye contact with her. Chloé laughed as she waved the book to her. "He's so totally crushing on you, Y/n!"</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     "I thought the answer was hadron." Y/n frowned as she erased the circle around the letter C. Ivan shook her head and showed her his paper. "Hadron a collective word for baryons and mesons. The definition in the question is asking for the word for baryons with strange quarks, and that's a hyperon." Y/n was in her science class discussing the last question of the particle physics homework with Ivan as Ms. Mendeleiev walked around the class. "Nathaniel! What are you drawing?" The teacher yelled from behind Y/n's table. Y/n turned around to face the redhead boy, who was currently getting in trouble. Nathaniel turned a bright shade as he realized that the whole class' eyes were on him. "Wha, wha—"</p><p>     "And these artistic endeavours are clearly why you are failing science." The science teacher said as she handed the boy back his sketchbook. Y/n frowned as Nathaniel bowed his head and clutched onto his book. "I'm sorry..." He muttered, and Ms. Mendeleiev pointed to the classroom door. "You go march yourself down to the principal's office and show him that chicken scratch! Then you'll be really sorry!" Nathaniel got up from his seat and collected his things. As he was walking to the door, he tripped on Mylène's bag and his stuff went everywhere.</p><p>     "Ooh! Look, Sabrina! It's him as a superhero! And look who he's saving! It's Y/n!" Chloé smirked as she picked up the sketchbook from the floor and flipped through the pages. Y/n turned a light shade of pink as the class looked her way. "Uh—" Y/n glanced at Nathaniel as he avoided eye contact with her. Chloé laughed as she waved the book to her. "He's so totally crushing on you, Y/n!" The redhead growled as he lunged for the book. "Gimme that!" Chloé discreetly ripped out a page as she handed Nathaniel back his sketchbook. Ms. Mendeleiev walked up behind him and pointed to the door again. "Enough! Nathaniel, go!"</p><p>     Nathaniel rushed out of the classroom as the class began to mutter. Y/n rolled her eyes at the petty drama. She ignored the glances being sent her way as Ms. Mendeleiev walked to the front of the class. "Enough talking, class. Now that we're done reviewing the homework, it's time for me to assign your groups for the next particle physics assignment." She grabbed a stack of papers from behind her desk and passed them down the rows. Y/n glanced at the rubric and let out a small sigh as she put it away in her backpack. </p><p>     "The first group will be Alya, Mylène, and Juleka." Ms. Mendeleiev began to read off the list as Y/n rested her head on her arms. "The next particle physics presentation group is Nino, Adrien, and Y/n!" Y/n chuckled as the two boys shared a fist bump and Marinette turned around to smile at her. "Oh! So lucky!" Y/n halfheartedly rolled her eyes and smiled as Marinette turned back around to face the front. "And then, Sabrina, Chloé, and Marinette." Y/n held in a laugh as Marinette groaned and threw her head into her arms. "So unlucky." She heard Alya say as the brunette patted Marinette's back and Chloé raised her hand. </p><p>     "Uh, Miss, can't you add her to another group? Sabrina and I work much better on our own." The blonde asked, and Ms. Mendeleiev glared at her. "This is a group presentation, not pairs! Deal with it." She said as she continued to read down the list of groups. Y/n heard Chloé mutter to herself as Ms. Mendeleiev finished listing off the groups. The bell rang and Y/n got up to collect her stuff as Marinette walked up to her. "You wouldn't be willing to trade groups, would ya?"</p><p>     "And deal with those two? Sorry, I'd rather eat a tub of wasabi. But I promise to talk all about you in between particles and the physics!" Y/n smiled at Marinette as Alya laughed at Y/n's comments. "You're the best!" Marinette embraced Y/n with a beam and the girl felt a heavy blush reach her cheeks. Nino and Adrien began to walk towards the three girls and Alya elbowed Marinette in the arm. The bluenette let go of Y/n and yelped as she saw Adrien walk up to them.</p><p>     Marinette nervously smiled and rapidly waved at him as the two boys waved back. Y/n giggled at the bluenette as Alya waved at Adrien and Nino before dragging Marinette away. "See you guys at lunch!" Y/n called out as they walked out of the class. "You okay, dude? Your face is kind of red." Nino said as he poked Y/n's cheek. "Are you feeling sick?" Adrien frowned as he put a hand up to the girl's forehead. Y/n awkwardly laughed and pushed his hand away before nodding. "All good! We should head over to the library."</p><hr/><p>     "This is such bs." Y/n grumbled as she threw her pencil down. She sighed heavily as she buried her head into her arms, and she felt a hand pat her head. "You'll manage, dude. The assignment  isn't <em>that</em> hard." Nino said, and Y/n looked up at him to see him retract his hand and go back to doing his work. "Try learning particle physics in a secondary language." Y/n frowned as she sat up at looked at her paper. Adrien smiled at her as he handed her the pencil she threw. "You're doing great, Y/n. If you need help that badly then I can try to find a way to help you with the homework."</p><p>     "Thanks, but I don't want to annoy Ms. Sancoeur and your dad more than I already have." Y/n muttered as she went back to her paper. Adrien looked at her blankly before smiling. "You're too stubborn for your own good." Y/n shrugged without looking at the boy as she glanced at Nino's paper. "It's what I do best." The three continued to work on the assignment and Adrien let out a sigh.</p><p>     "Question nine is pretty hard. I'll go find a textbook." Adrien stood up and walked away as Nino and Y/n gave him a small wave. The two kept working until Y/n heard Chloé's voice whine from across the library. "Ugh! What do you mean, you're not doing my assignment?!" She yelled at Sabrina, and Y/n huffed and rolled her eyes. "What a brat."</p><p>     "Right?! I have absolutely no clue how Adrien could still be friends with her." Nino agreed and looked up to glance at Chloé. Y/n let out a small nod as she laughed. "If I'm too stubborn, Adrien is too <em>kind</em> for his own good." She said as she went back to do her work. Y/n yelped as the floor started shaking and looked over to see Chloé being buried under a pile of berets. "Ahh! My hair!" The blonde shrieked, and Y/n jumped up and started to put her stuff away. She looked around the library and saw a familiar boy stand with a tablet and stylus in hand on the second floor. "What are you doing?" Nino asked, and Y/n pointed at Chloé, who was currently being chased by a giant hairdryer.</p><p>     "We need to evacuate, <em>now!</em> I can tell Chloé's bitchy attitude probably got someone akumatized and I'll be damned if I lose my homework in the midst of all this." As soon as Chloé let out another shriek, the library began to evacuate. Y/n watched as Ladybug and Chat Noir made their way into the scene, and the girl made her way to the library door. As the room evacuated, Y/n stopped in her tracks and turned back around to face Ladybug, who was currently riding the hairdryer. <em>I have no interest in talking to a </em>wuss<em> who always hides at the sight of an akuma.</em> Y/n sighed as she shook the thought out of her head and began to run back home.</p><hr/><p>     "How come you aren't out there helping Marinette and Adrien?" Vinca asked as she sat in her bowl of grapes. Y/n dismissively shrugged as she looked at the paper on her desk. "This project poses a much bigger threat than falling berets and giant hairdryers. Besides, two people is enough to babysit Chloé, no need to add me into the mix." Y/n hummed to the music playing on her speakers as Vinca watched the girl with full cheeks. After finishing the green grapes, Vinca let out a loud yawn and closed her eyes. As the speaker turned off, being out of charge, Y/n heard shuffling outside her balcony and began to panic. </p><p>       She grabbed the bowl that Vinca was napping in and shoved it under her desk. Y/n stood up and grabbed pepper spray from the first drawer and pointed it forward as the door began to open. She froze when the redhead from the library walked into her room. "You're the guy from the library! What are you doing at my house?" She lowered the pepper spray but held onto it tightly as the boy took a step forward. "I just wanted to see you." He said with a soft smile, and Y/n looked at him in surprise, expecting the boy to try to kidnap her. </p><p>     "Okay... But what was the whole thing with Chloé at the library? Why'd you attack her?" She asked and the boy began to frown. "'Cause Chloé is cruel and selfish!" He stated, and Y/n let herself smile. "You're not wrong there... You aren't going to hurt me or anything, are you?" The boy looked aghast at her question as he shook his head. "You? You're Y/n! You're beautiful and kind and... you're perfect and I could never hurt you!" The boy placed a hand over his heart and Y/n awkwardly laughed at the confession. <em>Is this... Nathaniel? It has to be, Chloé embarrassed and outed him in front of the whole class.</em></p><p>     "Wow... that's, uh... very... flattering! Thank you?" Y/n slowly set down the pepper spray onto her desk as the boy walked closer to her with a nervous smile. "So, I just came by to ask you, it, uh, well, it's my birthday today, and, uh, would you wanna come to my party?" He asked, and Y/n looked at him with surprise. "Oh, uh— Actually, it's not really the best night. See, I got a presentation to work on, and... I have to call my friends, so we can meet and..." </p><p>     "Oh please, Y/n! It'll just be you and me." The boy frowned as began to draw on his tablet. Y/n awkwardly stood there, making sure to block his view from the bowl under the table, as the redhead made a paper appear. He got down on one knee as he handed the sheet to her. Y/n timidly grabbed it and smiled as she saw the artwork. <em>This is definitely Nathaniel.</em> "Woah, is this me?" She asked as the readhead stood back up. He nodded and gave her a smile. "You like it?"</p><p>     "It's awesome! In fact... I think you managed to persuade me to go to your party! But, there's a catch..." She set the paper down on her desk and the boy began to beam. "Anything for you, Y/n." She turned to face him with a serious look as she leaned against the desk. "You can't hurt Chloé anymore. She may be an ass, but it's really not cool to hurt anyone, even people like her." Y/n looked at him skeptically as the redhead happily nodded. "For you and only you. Meet you on the left bank, next to Notre-Dame, at sunset!" Y/n watched him draw a jetpack and gave him a small wave as he flew out the blacony door.</p><p>     "How are you doing, Vinca?" Y/n asked as she crawled under her desk to grab the bowl she was in. The kwami huffed as she flew onto the desk with her arms crossed. "You didn't have to throw me like that, y'know. You should've transformed or something." She muttered, and Y/n let out a laugh. "What is it with you and not understanding that I shouldn't expose my secret identity to Hawk Moth's victims?" She asked as she pet the kwami's head. Vinca rolled her eyes and frowned. "What exactly are you gonna do now?" She asked, and Y/n gave her a smirk. "Looks like Alleycat and Bugaboo are gonna need some help from lil old me."</p><hr/><p>     "Ohhh... Sabrina is so selfish! Making me do this project by myself?! Ugh, my brain hurts..." Chloé frowned as she threw herself onto her couch. She glanced at the two superheroes that were standing on her balcony as she sighed. "Sitting around here waiting isn't doing anything, Chat!" Ladybug frowned as she huffed and crossed her arms. Before Chat Noir could reply, Chloé walked up to the heroes with a grin and the folder with her presentation papers. "Hey! Chat Noir, Ladybug, are you guys any good at particle physics?"</p><p>     "Oh, this cat's got particle physics in the bag." Chat Noir bragged. Ladybug rolled her eyes and looked out into the horizon as Chloé beamed and led Chat Noir to a chair. "Ah! Great! Sit, kitty!" She handed him her folder and smiled. "Now, make it sound purr-fect for my presentation. See what I did? I made a cat joke! Ah! I can be funny." Chloé walked over to the seat next to him and began to look through a magazine. Chat Noir discreetly rolled his eyes with annoyance as he saw himself on the cover. "Yeah, hilarious." He muttered sarcastically.</p><p>     Ladybug sighed, and thought about leaving but was brought out of her thoughts by her yo-yo phone ringing. "Chat Noir, get over here!" She called out. Chat Noir sheepishly smiled at Chloé as he set her stuff down and walked to the heroine. "What's up, Bugaboo?" He asked as he peered over her shoulder to read the contact name. "It's Hummingbird." Ladybug muttered, rolling her eyes at his nickname. She answered the phone and held it between herself and the hero. "Hello?" </p><p>     "Sorry, don't mean to <em>bug</em> you two. But, good news, you're free from babysitting Chloé. I need one of you to protect this girl instead." Ladybug and Chat Noir looked at the phone as a picture of Y/n popped up. "Her name is Y/n. Really cute, isn't she? The akumatized guy you're looking for is in love with her, and promised not to harm Chloé as long as Y/n comes to his birthday party, but I'd have one of you stay with Chloé just to be sure." Ladybug skeptically hummed as Chat Noir looked at the photo with worry. "The akumatized victim, are you talking about the Evillustrator?" Ladybug asked.</p><p>     Chat Noir did his best to listen, but got distracted as Chloé walked up to him and flicked his bell with the folder in hand. Ladybug ignored the blonde as Chat Noir sheepishly nodded and pushed Chloé away before turning his attention back to the phone call. "If it's the redhead with the drawing tablet, then yes. While he's distracted, take him down. Easy peasy, right?" Chat Noir smiled at her words and he grabbed Ladybug's wrist and brought the yo-yo phone closer to him. "What about you? Not in the mood to help us this time, Dove?"</p><p>     "I don't mean to rain on your parade, Alleycat, but I'm on a very important secret mission. There's always next time. Later!" Ladybug huffed and pulled her hand back from him as Hummingbird ended the call. Chat Noir glanced at Chloé and grimaced. "Dibs on helping, Y/n!" He yelled as he grabbed his staff. Ladybug looked at him in shock as Chat Noir waved and jumped onto the balcony railing.</p><p>     "Wha— Why?! Don't tell me you're gonna leave me with <em>her?!</em>" Ladybug angrily whispered, and Chat Noir gave her a quick nod. "Yup! I'll see ya!" He waved at Ladybug at jumped away. The bluenette groaned as she looked back at the blonde. Chloé beamed and held up her folder. "Oh Ladyyyybuuuug!! Care to help me with my presentation?" She smiled at the heroine, and Ladybug rolled her eyes and plopped down onto the floor. "Ugh."</p><hr/><p>     "Knock knock!" Chat Noir smirked as he opened the glass door and walked into the room. Y/n looked at him with shock as she set her mini backpack on her chair and her pepper spray on her desk. "Chat Noir?" The boy in question nodded and walked over to Y/n to place a kiss on her knuckles. "Evening, <em>chaton!</em>" He beamed, and Y/n looked at him skeptically. "Oh, so you're calling me <em>chaton</em> now?" She smirked as she pulled her hand out of his. She walked over to her closet to grab a pair of shoes as Chat Noir sat down on her bed. </p><p>     "The nickname grew on me, but I think it fits you more than it fits me." The blond smirked as he watched the girl. Y/n shook her head and sat down in her chair to put on her shoes. "That's funny. Last I checked you were the one wearing the cat ears, Mr. Noir. What are you even doing here?" Chat Noir frowned at the question and stood up. He walked over to her and crossed his arms. "Well, that birthday boy date of yours is bad news. But don't worry. You'll be safe with me." He explained, saying the last part with a smug grin. </p><p>     "Gee, that sure does put my mind at ease." Y/n muttered as she rolled her eyes. Chat Noir patted her head as the girl started to sit back up. "I am, however, going to need a little help. Care to assist a superhero?" He explained as Y/n looked at him blankly. "What about Ladybug? Aren't you two a duo?" She asked. Chat Noir nodded and pointed to the door. "She's busy making sure another citizen is safe, so... Today you get to be my Ladybug, <em>chaton.</em>"</p><p>     "I mean, if you say so... What do I do?" Y/n stood up to grab her purse as Chat Noir smiled at her. "Just get that drawing pencil away from him, <em>mon chéri.</em> I'll take care of the rest." Y/n looked at the blond with an eyebrow raised as he called her the pet name. She rolled her eyes and pushed Chat Noir back to the balcony. "See you soon then, <em>chaton.</em>" She waved at him and tried closing the door, but Chat Noir stopped the door with his foot and smirked. </p><p>     "Just so you know... It's illegal to own pepper spray if you're under eighteen and don't have a permit. <em>Adieu, ma petite américaine!</em>" He quickly placed a kiss on her forehead and winked. Y/n rolled her eyes as Chat Noir jumped off the balcony and she closed her glass door. With a heavy sigh, she grabbed the pepper spray off her desk and threw it into the garbage can. "Flirt." Y/n muttered as she grabbed her mini backpack and made her way out the apartment.</p><hr/><p>     "Happy birthday!" Y/n smiled as she made her way to the boat. "Y/n!" The Evillustrator lit up at the sight of her and Y/n waved. He jumped off the boat's roof and started to walk her towards the bench near the front of the boat. "Thank you for accepting my invitation." He said as Y/n looked around the boat. "This is all very beautiful!" She told him, and the Evillustrator sheepishly smiled. "You like it? Well hold on, 'cause I'm just getting started." He jumped back onto the roof of the boat and tried to draw something, but the moon started to get covered by the clouds. </p><p>     "Grr! Come on, you've gotta be kidding!" The Evillustrator growled as he threw his hands up in frustration. Y/n stood there awkwardly and the redhead quickly gained his composure back. "Uhh, sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. It's just... I can't draw properly in the dark." Y/n watched him crouch near a small latern and draw a large moon on top of the Eiffel Tower. "Voila!"</p><p>     The boat ride began and Y/n sat next to the boy awkwardly. She's never really been on a date, let alone a date with a supervillain, so she was at a complete loss for words. The Evillustrator was smart enough to play music off his tablet in order to fill in the awkward silence. Y/n hummed along as she saw Chat Noir jump over buildings to her right. "You're very talented! I just don't understand why you'd waste your power on hurting people when you could do so many other things." </p><p>     "Not all people. Just Chloé. And I'm never doing that again. After all, you were true to your promise, so I'll be true to mine." The boy stopped playing music as he talked to Y/n. She smiled at his words and saw Chat Noir jump onto the back of the boat. "You know... I actually draw a little too. I'm not as good as you, obviously, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve." Y/n tried her best to discreetly wave to Chat Noir to make him hide back a little more. "I'm sure you're a wonderful artist." The Evillustrator bashfully smiled. </p><p>     "Well, if you want I can I draw you something special for your birthday?" Y/n sat closer to him and timidly reached for the stylus. The Evillustrator looked at her hand for a second before smiling. "That would be amazing." He muttered. Y/n smiled as she gripped the pen harder, but started to panic as the redhead glanced behind them. "Y/n, give me my pencil back. I need to draw something, now!" The girl let out a small huff as she ripped the stylus from out of his hand and ran up to stand away from him. "Sorry dude, but I'm keeping it! Heads up, Chat Noir!"</p><p>     Chat Noir jumped from out of the shadows of the boat and extended his staff in order to trap the Evillustrator in place. "Y/n! You're working with him? I'm so stupid... I actually thought you liked me! But you're really just like Chloé. Teasing me, mocking me, leading me on!" The redhead boy frowned and bowed his head. Y/n looked at him in shock at his words. "What the hell? Don't compare me to that blonde douche bag!"</p><p>     The Evillustrator huffed and kicked Chat Noir's staff. The butt of it smack Y/n's wrist and it caused to girl to lose grip of the stylus. "No!" She watched it in fear as the Evillustrator jumped up and grabbed it. Chat Noir tried to jump and attack the readhead, but the boy drew a box that would trap Chat Noir and Y/n. The girl yelped as the blond hero fell on top of her and both of them fell to the ground. "And I'm taking back my promise! Chloé's gonna get a little lesson she'll never forget!" Y/n grumbled as she pushed Chat Noir off of him.</p><p>     As she stood up, she watched the Evillustrator draw on his tablet and the boat began to tilt. <em>He must've made a hole in the boat, damn.</em> Y/n helplessly watched the redhead jump into the night as Chat Noir tried to break the box with his baton. "We've been penned in! Literally!" The blond boy huffed. Y/n felt Vinca poke her through the bag, and she held back the urge to transform as she looked around for a solution. </p><p>     She looked at the floor and gasped in realization. "Chat Noir, your stick! Like this!" She placed a hand on his shoulder to grab his attention and used her other hand to point his staff upwards. "And extend it!" Y/n saw the hero's eyes widened for second in surprise. Chat Noir looked at Y/n with a smirk as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. "Great thinking! We make a good team!" Y/n rolled her eyes as she pushed his arm away. "Yeah. Great. I'm a genius. Whatever." She muttered as she stood behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.</p><p>     Chat Noir extended the staff and managed to throw the box off them. As they started to land, Chat Noir managed to carry Y/n and set her down safely on the ground "Gotta go. A superhero's work is never done." "Damsels in distress, ladies in waiting... I've got a lot more saving to do. You can thank me later, <em>chaton.</em>" Chat Noir winked and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. Y/n rolled her eyes and waved to the boy as he launched himself in the direction of Chloé's house.</p><p>     "First he steals my nickname and now he expects me to thank him? What a douche." Y/n huffed as she started to walk back home. She felt the zipper of her backpack open and Vinca flew up to the girl's face. "Y/n..." The kwami started with a sigh, but Y/n rapidly shook her head. "What? We literally would be drowning if I didn't help him do his job!" Y/n furrowed her brows and Vinca held in a giggle as she landed on the girl's shoulder.</p><p>     "Speaking of which... Are you gonna help them out tonight?" Vinca asked. Y/n grumbled as she bit her lip. <em>Why don't you follow your own advice, and don't tell me how to do my job.</em> Y/n shook the thought out of her head as she lightly picked Vinca up and placed her back into the backpack. "No... Like I told Ladybug, We can't risk giving Hawk Moth the satisfaction of having all three Miraculous in one place... Besides, they'll be fine without me. C'mon, I have a presentation to finish."</p><hr/><p>     Y/n looked into the drama room with a sigh. A part of her really wanted to try joining the drama club. It could really help her with her French and help her socialize more. Not to mention, give her tons of good excuses when she needs them. But, she's worried that, if she did join, her schedule might be too full, and she might overwork herself. She made eye contact with Richie and gave him a sheepish smile and a wave. "Hey!" </p><p>     "Gahhh!" Y/n jumped up and put her hands in fists. She turned around to face the voice that startled her and let out a sigh of relief as Adrien smiled at her. "What are you doing looking at the drama room?" Adrien asked as he peeked into the room window. Y/n's cheeks flushed in embarrassment as she shrugged and walked away. "I was just curious, is all. What's up, model boy?" Y/n and the blond walked over to the stairs as Adrien started to beam.</p><p>     "I heard about your adventures with Chat Noir yesterday. Were you scared?" He asked, and Y/n let out a laugh. "Me, <em>scared?</em> Please." Adrien smiled at her cockiness as he started to lean on the railing. "So, what do you think about Chat Noir? Was he awesome?" Y/n smirked at his question before rolling her eyes and shrugging. "He's pretty whatever, y'know? His ego is the size of the Eiffel Tower, that's for sure." Y/n giggled as Adrien's eyes widened and he looked at her in shock.</p><p>     "<em>Whatever?</em> But he's a superhero! You know how many girls would <em>kill</em> to have been in your shoes? You gotta think he's <em>somewhat</em> cool, right?" Adrien tried not to frown as Y/n gave him a smug smile. "He's really just your average Joe when you think about it. Blond hair, green eyes. There's tons of those guys around. Like you for example. Only difference is you're nice and he's cocky."</p><p>     Y/n innocently smiled as Adrien awkwardly laughed and paled. "Well, if you're comparing him to me that means you at least like him a little bit, right?" Adrien looked at Y/n expectantly as she let out a laugh. The morning bell rung and Y/n avoided the question by turning to walk up the stairs. Adrien frowned as he followed her with a huff. "I'll take that as a yes."</p><p>     After walking into the classroom, Y/n made a beeline to the desk at the back of the class. She quietly cleared her throat as she stood next to the redhead boy, who currently had his head in his arms. "Y/n?" Nathaniel muttered in surprise as he made eye contact with the girl. "Listen, Nathaniel, I just wanted to say—"</p><p>     "If you're here to talk to me about getting akumatized or what happened in class yesterday, I'm really not in the mood for it. I'm sorry." The boy laid his head back onto the table and Y/n frowned. She put her backpack onto the floor and took out a present. Y/n lightly tapped Nathaniel's shoulder as she placed the bag next to his arm. "No one deserves what Chloé did to you. That must've been really embarrassing. I just wanted to say happy belated birthday. I'm really sorry you were going to spend it all alone." </p><p>     Nathaniel looked at her skeptically before he grabbed the gift. As he looked into the bag, his face lit up at the sight of the two boxes. "You got me a pack of Copic markers and Posca Pens?!" He asked with excitement and Y/n let out a small smile. "Dude, you're a really talented artist! You totally earned them!" The redhead beamed at her as he put the boxes away. "Listen, I'm really sorry I don't reciprocate your feelings, but I hope we can be friends! You genuinely seem like a really cool guy. Friends?" Y/n anxiously stood there as she waited for the redhead's response. Nathaniel smiled as he nodded at her. "Friends."</p><hr/><p>     "Master Fu, am I doing something wrong?" Y/n asked as she blankly stared at her cup of tea. She was visiting the old man and, as the kwamis were playing, the girl started to get lost in her thoughts. Wayzz and Vinca looked at Y/n with confusion and sat down at the table as Master Fu set down his cup of tea. "What makes you think that?" Master Fu asked, and Y/n quietly grumbled to herself. <em>You could be much more useful if you helped us rather than trying to run around on the sidelines.</em></p><p>     "Nothing, it's just... I don't know... I thought I was doing the right thing, helping out the Parisians and making sure they were safe, but what if I'm wrong? Should I be helping Ladybug and Chat Noir instead? With catching the akumas? How did the people before us work? Did they team up? Did they work alone? Did—" Y/n was cut off by Master Fu chuckling. The girl looked at him blankly before smiling sheepishly at her rambling. "Personally, I think you're doing fine, Y/n. But, the important question here is, what do you think?" </p><p>     "I'm not sure... It was just a passing thought, Master. I was just curious, is all." Y/n muttered as she went back to drinking her tea. The Chinese man looked at her with a smirk. "It doesn't look like a passing thought to me." Master Fu said as he poured more tea into his cup. Y/n grumbled again as she avoided eye contact and drank her tea. As she reached over to grab the teapot, Vinca frowned. "You're thinking about what Ladybug said to you during the whole Copycat fiasco, right?" The kwmai frowned, and Y/n avoided her question by taking another sip of the hot tea.</p><p>     "She had a point though... Didn't she?" Y/n looked at her kwami, who was eating a cookie with Wayzz, and Vinca shook her head. "You're plenty of help as it is. Remember Stormy Weather? You managed to get many people off the streets into a warm shelter and helped Mireille escape from news building. What about that one akumatized chorus lady from two weeks ago? Echo? If you weren't there when you were, that little kid would've gotten crushed by that car! You aren't useless and you most certainly are <em>not</em> a wuss."</p><p>     "But what's stopping me from just using my Speeding Hum and taking the akumatized object from the villains hands? Wouldn't that be more helpful?" Y/n frowned as she set down her tea cup, and Vinca huffed as she swallowed her cookie. "No one's stopping you from helping Ladybug and Chat Noir, but Speeding Hum is all about making or using a window of opportunity. You only have a minute to create or use that window, and you lose time faster when you try to just cut to the chase."</p><p>     "But that's stupid though..." Y/n huffed as Master Fu let out a chuckle. "That's just how it is, Y/n." Wayzz said kindly while nibbling on the cookie, and the girl let out another grumble. The group sat is silence as Y/n spaced out into her thoughts. <em>We can't risk giving Hawk Moth the satisfaction of having all three Miraculous in one place...</em> "You're a very smart girl, Y/n. I trust that whatever choice you do, whether it be work alone or work with Ladybug and Chat Noir, it'll be a choice for the better." Master Fu said with a smile, and Y/n glanced at him before smiling and softly nodding. "Thank you, Master Fu."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hope you liked the chapter!!!! sorry it took so long to post. i didnt really proof read i got kind of bored of the chapter so sorry about that. please leave a comment or a kudos if you like!! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Dark Cupid</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"In most fairy tales, the prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess. Can anyone tell us why?" Mrs. Bustier asked from the front of the class. Y/n was mindlessly doodling on her paper. Rose's hand jolted up at the question, and the short girl swooned as she stood up. "Because only love can conquer hate!" She beamed. Ms. Bustier hummed in agreement as the short blonde sat back down. "Correct, Rose."</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>F/i: First name initial<br/>F/b: Favorite band</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     "Finally! They're set!" Y/n beamed as she poked one of the sugar cookies. Y/n hummed to herself as she grabbed two of the baking pans and set three cookies in four boxes. She made sure to wake up early today in order to bake and prepare the four presents. It was Valentine's Day, and, although Y/n didn't have a valentine, she was planning to give her friends a box of heart-shaped cookies and a rose. "Why do you have five roses if you only have four friends?" Vinca asked as she flew out of the room and landed next to the red flowers tied together with a string. </p><p>     Y/n's cheeks flushed at the question as she turned away from the kwami. "I— Uh... Was planning to give two roses to Marinette..." She muttered as she placed the four boxes in a paper bag. Vinca looked at the girl in confusion as she flew over to her shoulder. "<em>That's</em> how you plan on confessing your crush on her? An extra flower?" Vinca frowned as Y/n huffed and picked the kwami up.</p><p>     The girl set Vinca down on the counter as she grabbed her empty water bottle from the sink. "It's a simple gesture. Besides, I am <em>not</em> confessing to Marinette that I like her. First of all, the girl is head over heels for Adrien. Second of all, you can't just walk up to a person and be like 'Hey! I'm bi and I have a crush on you!' That could <em>literally</em> destroy our friendship. I know I have zero chance with her and I'm okay with that. It's just a very hard crush to get over."</p><p>     Vinca huffed and flew back up to the girl's shoulder and plopped down. "You and I both know Marinette wouldn't cut you off by something like <em>that.</em> This isn't America, Y/n." The girl grumbled as she filled the water bottle up and walked over to her backpack. "I'm not risking anything, Vinca. I'd rather be safe than sorry." She said, ended the conversation by opening the front pocket of the backpack and glancing at Vinca. The kwami frowned but begrudgingly flew into the bag. Y/n quietly sighed as she pulled out her phone. She had thirty-five minutes before school started, so she had plenty of time to walk there and pass out her gifts. Y/n grabbed the paper bag, roses, and her keys and made her way out of the apartment complex.</p><hr/><p>     "Nino!" Y/n smiled as she reached the school's steps. Nino, who was sitting near one of the pillars, smiled as the girl walked up to him. "Hey dude! What's with the flowers? Don't tell me you have a valentine." Nino gave the girl a fist bump as she shook her head. "No, no valentine here. Just giving gifts to my friends." Y/n smiled at him as she grabbed a rose and took out a box of cookies. She handed them to Nino and the boy beamed. "Woah, thanks! These cookies smell amazing!" He smiled as he opened the box and caught a whiff of the sugar cookies. Y/n felt proud as Nino took a bite of a cookie and hummed in delight. "Holy crap, Y/n! These are so good! I didn't know you could bake!"</p><p>     "Thanks! I just followed a recipe from one of my uncle's recipe books." Y/n smiled and sat down next to him. Her and Nino talked about the next time they would be able to play Smash Bros at the park as they waited for Adrien's limo to pull up. "You <em>cannot</em> judge me for using Pacman as a main." Nino playfully frowned as Y/n laughed. "Yes I can! There's literally so many different characters you could use, and you use a yellow ball? Puh-lease!" Y/n laughed again as the boy looked at her in shock. "You main with a <em>dog!</em> Don't judge <em>me</em> when you use Isabelle of all people." Nino huffed, and it was Y/n's turn to look at the boy with shock. "Don't attack Isabelle like that! She didn't do anything to you!"</p><p>     "What are you guys talking about?" Adrien asked as he walked up to his to friends. Y/n shook her head as she pointed to Nino. "This guy has no respect. He's just mad that I beat his ass at Smash Bros last weekend." Adrien playfully rolled his eyes as Nino huffed. "It sucks you didn't get to stay long enough to help me out, dude. Ever since she won the tournament her ego had gotten as big as her head." Y/n looked at him with fake offense. She rolled her eyes as she elbowed Nino in the arm and the two boys laughed. Adrien smiled at her, but began to frown as he looked at the flowers in his friends' hands. </p><p>     "Woah, are you two each other's valentines? When did that happen?" Adrien asked as Nino and Y/n started to stand up. The girl looked at Adrien in shock and shared a look with Nino before both of them bursted out laughing. "What?! No! I'm giving all of my friends a valentines gift, dude." Y/n rolled her eyes as she went to grab a box from the bag. Adrien quietly let out a quick breath of relief before Y/n handed him the box and a flower. "I'm sorry I didn't get you anything." Adrien muttered, and Y/n shrugged. "It's cool, I didn't expect you to." She said, and the blond boy couldn't help but smile at her.  "The cookies are epic, dude! Try them!" Nino beamed as the three of them walked through the school's entrance.</p><p>     Adrien opened the small box and took out the heart-shaped cookie with a smile. He took a bite out of it and turned to Y/n with a beam. "These are amazing!" Adrien continued to eat his cookie as Y/n smiled and shrugged. "Thanks, Adrien. I better go give Marinette and Alya theirs before class starts." The girl waved at them, but before she left Nino pointed to the roses in her hand. "Why do you have three? Who's the third one for?" He smirked and elbowed the girl in her arm as her cheeks became a faint pink. "No— Uhm, I bought five instead of four by accident. It's just an extra one. I better get going. See ya guys." Adrien held back the urge to frown as the two boys waved at the girl. </p><p>     The girl hummed to herself as she walked around the courtyard and looked for her other friends. She spotted Alya sitting on a bench on her phone and walked over to her with a beam. "Hey, Alya! Happy Valentine's Day!" Y/n sat down next to her and gave the brunette a hug. "Woah, what smells so good?" Alya asked as she sniffed the paper bag. Y/n giggled and took out one of the boxes. She grabbed a rose and gave the two items to the brunette. Alya smiled and gave the girl another hug before opening the box. </p><p>     "Girl, these are so cute! Thank you so much, Y/n!" Alya beamed as she opened the box and took out the sugar cookie. She took a bite out of it and smiled. "These taste amazing!" Alya told her as Y/n smiled and shrugged. "Thank you! I'm glad you liked them!" Y/n relaxed into the bench and took out her phone to text Marinette, asking what time she'd get here. "Did you finish Ms. Bustier's homework?" Alya asked as she finished eating her cookie and Y/n shrugged.</p><p>     "Yeah, not really a big fan of this fairy tale chapter. It's insanely white washed in my opinion. Sure, we read about Mulan and Aladdin, but there has to be more Asian and Middle Eastern stories. Besides, where are the Latino, Indeginous, and African stories? Not very balanced or inclusive if you ask me. I get that this is Europe and everything, but just because there's not much diversity here doesn't mean these people aren't out there, y'know?" Y/n smiled at the brunette as Alya looked at the girl in shock and awe. "I never really thought of it like that... That's very mindful of you, Y/n."</p><p>     "Thanks. How's the Ladyblog doing?" Alya grinned as she pulled out her phone and showed Y/n the statics of the blog. "It's going so good! I reached 100,000 followers this weekend, and the last post got almost 5,000 reblogs!" Y/n beamed at the girl's words as she scrolled through the page. "That's awesome, Alya! You're a very amazing journalist!" Alya smiled at her as she put her phone away. "Thanks, girl. I'm gonna head to my locker and put away my cookies. Are you gonna come?" Y/n watched Alya get up from the bench as she shook her head. "I'm gonna wait for Marinette. I'll see you soon in class though." Alya waved at the girl before walking over to the locker room. </p><p>     Y/n waited patiently for the girl in pigtails to show up to school. She was hoping the bluenette would make it to school on time, but Marinette had yet to even open the text. Three minutes passed, and Y/n jolted out of her seat and jogged over to the entrance as the bluenette walked in. "Hey, Y/n! Happy Valentine's Day! Are those flowers from your valentine?" Marinette gave the girl a hug and Y/n lightly blushed as she let go of the bluenette. "Uh, no. No valentine here. I just wanted to give all my friends a gift today." She took out the last box in the bag and handed it to Marinette. "I doubt they'll be as good as your dad's cookies." Y/n awkwardly laughed. Marinette beamed and took a bite out of the sugar cookie as Y/n took the string off the roses. </p><p>     "These are really good! Thank you so much, Y/n!" Marinette smiled as she put away the box of cookies in her bag and finished eating the one in her hand. The girl sheepishly smiled as she handed the two roses to Marinette. "I— Uh... I accidentally got an extra rose, so you can keep it if you'd like." Y/n said as brought the roses up to the girl, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. Marinette smiled as she took them from Y/n's hand. "Thank you! Sorry I didn't get you anything, Y/n."</p><p>     "No, you're fine! I just wanted an excuse to bake something, heh. I didn't expect anyone to get me anything." Y/n shrugged. Marinette frowned as she looked at the roses in her hand. The bluenette lit up as an idea popped up in her head. Y/n watched as Marinette grabbed one of the roses and broke the stem in half. The bluenette walked to the girl and tucked in some of Y/n's hair behind her ear. Y/n blushed at the proximity of the bluenette, but Marinette paid no attention as she tucked in the rose behind the girl's ear.</p><p>     "There! You look beautiful!" Marinette smiled at the girl. Y/n nervously laughed as she avoided eye contact with Marinette. Thankfully, the morning bell rung and students started to make their way towards their classes. Alya walked up to the girls as Y/n did her best to subdue the blush on her cheeks. "Marinette! There you are! I texted you like five times!" Alya said as the three girls started walking up the stairs. "Ah, I forgot my phone at home this morning. Sorry!"</p><hr/><p>     "In most fairy tales, the prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess. Can anyone tell us why?" Mrs. Bustier asked from the front of the class. Y/n was mindlessly doodling on her paper. Rose's hand jolted up at the question, and the short girl swooned as she stood up. "Because only love can conquer hate!" She beamed. Ms. Bustier hummed in agreement as the short blonde sat back down. "Correct, Rose." Max raised his hand as he fixed his glasses. "Technically speaking, this reasoning is only exhibited in about 87% of all fairy tales and—"</p><p>     "Thank you, Max. That's enough." Ms. Bustier interrupted. Y/n sighed to herself, waiting for the class to end. There was only about two minutes left. "Adrien, I hope what you're writing has to do with my lesson." Y/n perked up as she tried to spot the blond boy's desk. Sure enough, he was writing on a piece of paper, and he had another one crumpled off to the side. "Can you tell me what I just said?" Ms. Bustier asked as she approached Adrien's desk. The boy set his pencil down and looked at the teacher with a small smile. "That's why in most fairy tales, the prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess because only love conquers hate."</p><p>     "Very good, Adrien!" Ms. Bustier smiled. The bell rang and the students started to collect their things as the teacher walked back to the front of the class. "Now, everyone, don't forget to finish Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault tonight, and happy Valentine's day, students!" She called out. Y/n walked up to Marinette and Alya, but the bluenette dismissively waved at them. "Hey, you guys go ahead, I'll meet you outside." Y/n and Alya looked at each other confused, but nonetheless waved at the bluenette and walked out of the classroom.</p><p>     Marinette tried to discreetly look over Adrien's shoulder from under her desk as he continued to write his letter. The blond boy let out a huff before crumpling up the second letter and standing up to throw it away. He left the classroom with a sigh, and Marinette beamed to herself as she looked through the trash can. She smiled as she pulled out the two sheets and uncrumpled them. "Well well, Marinette, looking for something to eat?" Chloé mocked from out the classroom door. Marinette panicked and hid the sheets behind her back as Sabrina laughed. "Maybe she's looking for some better clothes!"</p><p>     The two walked away cackling and Marinette frowned. "Don't give them the time of day, they don't deserve it." Tikki told the girl as she flew from out of Marinette's purse and floated near the girl's shoulder. "You're right, Tikki." She let out a sigh as she took a close look at one of the papers. The first one she saw had a large X crossing out the page. "Woah, this one's all scribbled out! '<span class="s1">When I'm with you I feel my heart soar. There's no one else whom I adore. You're the only one who I can confide, so from this point forward, let me be by your side. There's nothing I want more than for you to be mine. Please, F/i...' It's unfinished... Who do we know that's name starts with an F/i?"</span></p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p class="p1">     Tikki looked at the paper with a shrug. The last sentence that had the letter had a scribble all over it. Marinette pulled out the second sheet and began to read it. "'Your hair is dark as night, your pretty bluebell eyes, I wonder who you are beneath that strong disguise. Every day we see each other and I hope that you'll be mine, together our love could be so true, please, will you be my Valentine?'"</p>
  <p>     "Adrien really is quite the poet." Tikki muttered as Marinette flipped between the two papers. "F/i? Hair as dark as night, bluebell eyes? Who could he be talking about?" The bluenette muttered. Tikki looked at the girl who was deep in thought. "Uh... you? Maybe these are two separate poems for two separate girls." Marinette looked at her kwami blankly before letting out a nervous laugh. "Me? No way. There are plenty of girls at school with dark hair and blue eyes whose name starts with a F/i!"</p>
  <p>     "Yeah, but bluebell eyes..." Tikki frowned. Marinette continued to read the poems with furrowed brows. "What do you think he means by 'strong disguise'?" The bluenette asked, and her kwami let out a small sigh. "This is poetry. He means who you are deep down inside. He wants to get to know you Marinette! He's talking about you! He might've written two different poems, but it's very possible that it's for two different people! And by the sounds of it, he's very certain about his feelings on the blue-eyed girl!"</p>
  <p>     Marinette looked at the letters blankly, trying to process Tikki's words. She began to beam as she held the letters close to her. "Pinch me!" She giggled as she jumped up and down. Tikki shrugged at the girl's request and flew over to her arm. She used her two hands to pinch the bluenette and Marinette jumped back with a shriek. "Not literally!" The bluenette glared at her kwami as she rubbed the spot on her arm. Tikki sheepishly smiled as Marinette playfully rolled her eyes and opened her bag. As the red kwami flew back into the purse, Marinette walked out of the classroom with a smile on her face as she reread the two letters.</p>
</div><hr/><p>     Alya and Y/n looked at each other with suspicion as Marinette walked next to them giggling. The school day had just ended, and Marinette had been a jumpy, giggling mess ever since first period ended. They asked constantly what was up, but Marinette simply dismissed it with a wave of a hand and a giggle. Y/n knew it had to do with the papers she was clutching to her chest all day. The three made their way out of the school as Alya tried to get a peek of what was on the papers. Marinette simply grinned as they continued to walk past their classmates, Kim and Max. Alya abruptly stopped to listen to their conversation, and Y/n grabbed a hold of Marinette before they could leave the brunette behind.</p><p>     "That's perfect, Max! I better hit a home run with this one. Love is like baseball, right? You gotta have a strategy or you'll strike out." Kim rambled as he grabbed the small box from his friend's hand. Alya smirked and dragged the two girls to the boys as Kim continued to talk. "But if you aim right, you'll hit it out of the ball park. Score!" Kim smiled. "Oh yes Kim, lovely metaphor." Max muttered as Kim stared at the gem in the box. Kim paid no attention to him as he admired the pin. "Meta-who?"</p><p>     "Ooh! Sparkly! Is that for <em>moi?</em>" Alya playfully smiled as she grabbed a hold of Kim's hands to get a close look of the jewel. Max looked at the brunette annoyed as Y/n awkwardly smiled and took a step back from him. "Negative, Alya. The recipient of this gem has already been determined, it's—" Before Max could finish, Kim cut him off by grabbing him and putting a hand over his mouth. "Shh! Keep it on the down-low!" The three girls stood across from them as Alya got excited and took out her phone. "Scoop! Kim's got a major crush! Who's the lucky lady?" She asked as she took pictures of Kim.</p><p>     Y/n lightheartedly rolled her eyes at her friend's antics as she pushed Alya's arm down and softly smiled at Kim. "It's gorgeous, Kim. She's gonna be ecstatic!" Alya giggled as Marinette nodded in agreement. Kim uncomfortably rubbed the back of his head as he looked down at the gem. "Technically, she's still gotta accept it. What if she says no!?" He panicked, and grabbed Max in hopes for answers. Before Max could reply, Marinette smiled and looked at Kim with determination. "She won't Kim, no way! Don't hold back, Kim. Go for it, no regrets!" The bluenette told him, pumping her fist in the air.</p><p>     Y/n looked at Marinette with surprise. She didn't expect the girl to coach Kim, but it seemed like it was enough to knock the nerves out of the boy. "Operation Valentine's Day is underway!" He beamed, giving Max a high five. The shorter boy pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to his friend as Kim began to jog in place. "Her route is highlighted here in yellow, yours in red. If you run at ten miles per hour you're going to gain a four and a half minute advance on her. Halt and wait here facing northwest, the third most romantic spot in Paris. Go, go, go!" Max cheered, and the three girls gave Kim thumbs up from behind Max. </p><p>     "Thanks, you guys." Kim grinned before running away. Max smiled at Kim's retreating figure as Alya elbowed Marinette in the arm with a smirk. "I know someone who's good at dishing out advice who can't take some herself." The brunette said as she pointed to Adrien, who was entering his car. Y/n quietly laughed, agreeing with Alya, as she nodded to Marinette. Max waved at the girls before he started to walk away, and Y/n waved back as Marinette looked at the papers in her hands. "You're right. It's time I told him." The bluenette smiled, and Y/n and Alya turned to face her in shock. "Say <em>what?!</em>" Y/n said, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach.</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     "I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna tell Adrien my true feelings. Well... I'm gonna write them on a card, that is." Marinette sheepishly smiled as she hide her face behind her paper. Alya beamed and Y/n happily clapped. "Yeah!" Alya cheered, and Marinette stood taller as her smile grew. "Yeah!" The bluenette grinned, and the three girls shared a fist bump. "Operation Valentine's Day!" They did a quick handshake before running off, and Alya linked arms with Y/n. "Y/n and I will get you a card, you go home and get to thinking, you lovebird!" Marinette nodded, and the girls split off at an intersection as Alya and Y/n made their way to the store.</p>
</div><hr/><p>     "I feel happy for Marinette and all, but I really can't wait for today to be over." Y/n muttered as she looked around the card stand. Alya looked at her friend with surprise as she set down the empty Valentine's Day card. "Really? Why?" She asked, and Y/n let out a heavy sigh as she picked up a card. "I can only bear all the lovey dovey stuff for so long." Y/n told the brunette as she turned to face her. Alya glanced at the rose in Y/n's hair as she slyly smiled at the girl. "Ooooor, maybe you're jealous of the fact that you can't be apart of the lovey dovey stuff yourself?" </p><p>     "Psh, yeah right." Y/n rolled her eyes as she turned away from Alya to hide the blush on her cheeks. Alya wasn't <em>wrong</em> per se, Y/n was a little jealous. Jealous at the fact that fate wasn't on her side with this crush. "What about this card?" Y/n asked as she pulled a simple, pink, heart-shaped card. On the outside of the card, a small gold trim outlined the shape. Alya looked at it suspiciously. "We might as well just cut a piece of pink paper." She muttered as she went to put the card away, but Y/n shook her head as she pointed to the full slot.</p><p>     "Exactly! It's simple, which means no one's buying it, which means it'll end up standing out more! Besides, its only ten cents. I'd say that a pretty good steal!" Alya looked at the card again and smiled. "I guess you're right. Come on!" Alya grabbed Y/n's arm and led her to the shop's door, but the girl yelped and let go of her friend's hand before they managed to exit. "We need to pay first, Alya!" The girl rolled her eyes as she walked up to the cashier and gave the man a ten cent coin. Alya sheepishly giggled as Y/n walked back to her with a smirk. "Onward! To Marinette's!" Alya beamed, grabbing Y/n's arm and dragging her out the door. </p><hr/><p>     "Marinette!" Alya called out as she ran into the house and up the stairs leading to the bluenette's room. Y/n sheepishly smiled and waved at Marinette's mom, who was getting a package of sticks for the candy apples they were making, before following the brunette to the room. "Check it out!" Y/n beamed as she held up the pink card. Marinette perked up at the sight of it and grabbed it from Y/n's hand. "It's perfect! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The bluenette beamed, and Y/n smiled as Marinette sat down and pulled out a red pen to get to writing.</p><p>     Alya tried to look over the bluenette's shoulder, but Y/n rolled her eyes and pulled Alya to the small sofa on the corner. "Give her space, Alya." Y/n muttered to the girl, and Alya playfully crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. They waited for Marinette to finish writing and walked over to her as the bluenette capped the pen. "Voila!" Marinette threw her arms in the air as Y/n and Alya clapped with delight. "Don't forget to sign it!" Y/n reminded the bluenette. Marinette reached for her red pen but the three girls got entranced by a small ladybug that flew into the room and landed on Marinette's card. </p><p>     "This is a good omen! Ladybugs are good luck, especially in the love department!" Alya beamed, and Marinette looked at the small bug with a smile. "Really?" The bluenette mumbled, and Alya nodded as she turned around and took out her phone to scroll through Instagram. "Yeah you of all people should know about ladybugs." The brunette mindlessly said as she scrolled through the posts. Y/n did her best not to laugh as Marinette turned to face Alya nervously. "R-really? Wh-why do you say that?"</p><p>     "Alya made a post about it on her blog this week. 'Since ancient times the ladybug has been a symbol of love, guiding hearts on the path to devotion.'" Y/n explained, and Alya nodded as she pulled up the blog on her phone and showed the article to Marinette. "You read it, didn't you?" Alya asked, and Y/n could see relief spread through Marinette. "Oh yeah, yeah, of course." The bluenette sheepishly smiled before turning back to her computer and quietly sighing. Y/n lightheartedly rolled her eyes and pointed out to the stairs. "What are we waiting for? Let's go deliver that letter!" </p><hr/><p>     "So they've got eyes, arms, legs, big deal! How can you possibly be in love with Ladybug? You don't even know who she really is! As for Y/n, she's your friend! How are you sure your feelings for her aren't just platonic?" Plagg rambled to the boy as he flew around the four different screens opened on the Ladyblog. Adrien sighed, ignoring Plagg, as he bit the tip of the pen in his hand. He was sitting at his computer trying to find inspiration, and the guts, to write the poems for both of the girls on his mind. Adrien put down the pen as he took a bite of the last cookie of the small batch Y/n made for him. He let out another sigh as he looked down at the black F/b hoodie he was wearing that he had yet to return to Y/n.</p><p>     "You don't know anything about love... or crushes..." Adrien mumbled as he pulled the hood over his head. Plagg flew up to the boy with a slice of cheese and a smirk. "Oh sure I do, I love Cheddar, and I love Camembert. And who could forget my crush on Brie and Swiss?" The blond boy ignored his kwami as he stood up and walked to his window. He leaned against the white frames and closed his eyes as he tried to recollect his thoughts.</p><p>     "Aww, the poor boy's frustrated because he can't finish the poems for his sweethearts?" The kwami mocked as he sat down on the head of the chair. Adrien ignored Plagg as he focused on the thoughts racing through his head. "I don't need a poem when I can tell her to her face... I love you. But <em>who</em> exactly am I telling this to? Ugh, this would be so much easier if only Y/n was Ladybug." Adrien groaned as he opened his eyes and turned back to face his kwami.</p><p>     The theory crossed through his mind a couple times before, but it was immediately debunked after the Airhead incident. Plagg rolled his eyes at Adrien's words as he looked away with a face of disgust. "Bleh, gross. You're making me lose my appetite." The kwami muttered before swallowing the piece of Camembert whole. "<em>Almost.</em> You should eat something, Adrien. You're starting to speak nonsense."</p><p>     "I'm not hungry Plagg, I'm just confused." Adrien explained as he sat back down in his chair. He looked up at the ceiling as he tried his best to explain his thoughts. "Whenever I'm with Ladybug, my heart races. She's so brave and kind and beautiful... Ever since the day we met, I can never get her out of my head. We just work so <em>fluently</em> together, surely it has to mean <em>something.</em>" Adrien glanced at the four screens and inwardly groaned, the black silhouette of the heroine taunting him. He looked back down at the hoodie he was wearing and let out a sigh. </p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     "But when I'm with Y/n... I don't know... I just... I enjoy being around her. I can be myself when I'm with her, whether it's Adrien <em>or</em> Chat Noir. She's true to who she is as a person and I admire that. I don't <em>think</em> I like her, but then again I had to do everything in my power to <em>not</em> be jealous of Nino when I thought he was her valentine..." Adrien turned to his computer and exited the tabs of the Ladyblog. He grabbed the half-eaten cookie with a frown as Plagg flew up to him with another slice of cheese in hand.</p>
  <p>     "This is exactly why you should stay away from girls. My advice, stop being such a casanova and eat some cheese! It'll make you feel better in no time!" Plagg grinned as he ate the cheese whole. Adrien looked at the kwami in disgust as the smell of the Camembert reached his nose. He turned away from Plagg and made his chair face the window again. Adrien slouched in his seat, pulling the strings of the hoodie to close in on him, and took another bite of the cookie with a sigh. "Why do I even bother opening up to you?"</p>
</div><hr/><p>     The three girls ran down the stairs giggling as they passed by bakery. "Candy apples, girls?" Mr. Dupain asked, holding the tray towards the girls as Alya and Y/n reached the door. "Thanks, Papa." Marinette beamed as she grabbed the three heart-shaped candy apples and ran out the door with her two friends. As they exited the bakery, Marinette handed the apples to her friends and Y/n looked at hers with a smile. She already started to take a bite out of it as they reached the mailbox just outside of The Place des Vosges.</p><p>     "Come on, Marinette! You got this!" Y/n encouraged with her mouth full of the treat. Alya laughed at her before turning to the bluenette with a grin. "Do it before you chicken out!" Marinette handed Alya her candy apple as she looked at her letter reluctantly at first. Y/n held her breath as the card reached the slot but the bluenette refused to let it go. Finally, Marinette shoved the card in and the other two girls beamed. "Yeah!" Y/n and Alya cheered, throwing their hands into the air. Marinette laughed with delight as she hugged her friends. "I did it!"</p><p>     Soon enough, the girls were taken out of their hug by all of their phones ringing. "Chloé?" Y/n looked at the notification in confusion, and Alya frowned as she unlocked her phone. "Since when did she start texting us?" The brunette muttered, and at the same time the girls opened up the message to be met with an embarrassing photo of Kim, who was drenched, had trash on his face, and awkwardly had his hands out with the gift open. Alya and Marinette gasped at the picture as Y/n let out a growl. "What a bitch!" She mumbled as Marinette ran a hand through her hair. </p><p>     "And I was the one who told Kim to do it! I didn't know he was talking about her!" Marinette frowned. Y/n put her phone away and comfortingly patted the bluenette's back as she finished eating her candy apple. Alya, who was still holding her's and Marinette's, put her phone away with a shrug. "Dang, I hope Adrien doesn't do the same thing to you." At the brunette's words, Marinette began to panic. She ran over to the mailbox and tried her best to pry it open. Alya awkwardly laughed, realizing her mistake, as Y/n elbowed the brunette in the arm harshly. "Alya!"</p><p>     "What?! I was joking!" The brunette frowned as she rubbed the area on her arm. Y/n walked over to Marinette, who was thrown over the yellow box dejectedly, and patted the bluenette on her head. "Marinette, calm down! You and I both know Adrien would never do that." Marinette grumbled in response, and Y/n lightheartedly rolled her eyes at the girl's antics. She helped Marinette get off the box, but got distracted as Alya pointed to a silhouette in the sky. "What in the world is that?!" She screamed, and the two girls looked up at the boy flying in the sky. </p><p>     "All hearts must be destroyed!" The figure yelled as he grabbed aimed his bow and grabbed an arrow from his pouch. Y/n panicked as he shot the arrow their way. She watched as the arrow hit Alya in the chest. "Alya?" Marinette asked as she took a step closer to the brunette. Y/n held Marinette back as she watched Alya's lips turn black. The brunette stuck the the two candy apples she was holding onto Marinette's shirt. "Hey, seriously?!" The bluenette frowned as she tried to rip the the sweets off her shirt.</p><p>     "You guys aren't my BFFs, you're jokes! Adrien's gonna laugh his head off at your lame attempt at poetry, Marinette!" Alya evilly cackled and ran off. "Alya?!" Y/n called out to her as the brunette ran out of sight. Y/n looked up to the sky as Marinette struggled beside her. "What did he do to her?" The bluenette frowned as she sighed and let go of the sticks. Marinette looked up to the sky with Y/n and tried to look closely at the villian. "I've seen that jewel somewhere before." The bluenette muttered.</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     Y/n gasped in realization as she recognized the brooch. "It's Kim's pin! He's been akumatized!" <em>Of course, once again it's Chloé's fault.</em> Y/n turned to Marinette and ripped the candy apples off her shirt. She grabbed the bluenette by the shoulders and pushed her into the park. "Marinette! Run!" The bluenette frowned and turned to face Y/n before the girl got the chance to run off. "What about you?" Y/n quietly sighed as she looked for an excuse.</p>
  <p>     The girl shook her head as she pointed down the street with a soft smile. "I'm going home, I'll be fine. Just find a safe place to hide!" Marinette hesitantly nodded and ran into the park. Y/n let out a breath of relief as she ran down the street and into an alleyway. She looked around in order to make sure the coast was clear and opened her mini backpack. "Y/n helping out with an akuma? What a miracle." The kwami joked as she flew out of the small bag. Y/n rolled her eyes and crossed her arms at Vinca's words. "This isn't the time for jokes, this is bad! We gotta find him, fast! Vinca, let's fly!"</p>
  <p>     The entire alleyway filled up with a teal light as Y/n transformed. She looked at her gloved hands hesitantly. She wasn't properly thinking when she transformed, but apart of her knew she needed to help out with this akuma. Y/n wasn't exactly sure if she was prepared to face Ladybug again. It's not like Ladybug still hates Hummingbird. Ladybug's managed to tolerate her and give her a nod whenever they pass each other on patrols. The only problem was that Ladybug's first words would always pass through Y/n's thoughts whenever she helped the citizens during akuma attacks.</p>
  <p>     <em>C'mon, Y/n. You're Hummingbird, you need to get your head in the game and go help protect the Parisians. Stop worrying over what someone else thinks.</em> The thoughts in her head managed to hype Y/n up. She took a deep breath and jumped off the walls to reach the rooftops. Hummingbird started running in the direction where the villian left but accidentally rammed into Ladybug, who was jumping up from a shorter rooftop. "Gahhh!" Ladybug yelped as the two heroines fell to the floor. "Ladybug?" Hummingbird asked with fake confusion as she stood up and helped bring the bluenette up. </p>
  <p>     Ladybug looked at her with hesitation before holding onto Hummingbird's shoulders and frowning. "Hummingbird, I need your help!" Ladybug grabbed the girl's wrist and started to run towards a building, but Hummingbird panicked and pulled her hand away, baffled at the amount of tolerance Ladybug was showing. "Me? Where's Chat Noir?" She asked skeptically, not really understanding Ladybug's motive. "No clue, no time! I know we've had our differences, but I can't do this alone. Would you be kind enough to help a bug out on a mission? Please?" Ladybug held her hand out to the heroine as a peace treaty. Hummingbird looked at the extended hand with a small smile, and nodded as she went to shake it. "Lead the way!"</p>
</div><hr/><p>    Ladybug and Hummingbird followed the villian to Le Grand Paris, where Chloé was complaining to delivery men about a gold-framed portrait of Adrien. Hummingbird watched as the villian grabbed an arrow and aimed it at Chloé. Before he could let go, Hummingbird manifested an arrow of her own and shot it at his direction. Her blunt tipped arrow hit his bow just as he let go of the arrow, which caused his arrow to go off course and hit the delivery van. "Hate to break it to you, big guy, but I'm the only masked weirdo with a bow and arrow around these parts, thanks." Hummingbird smirked as everyone turned their attention towards her and Ladybug. "Hummingbird! Ladybug!" The villian growled as the delivery men got into their van and left. </p><p>     "Stop, Kim!" Ladybug called out to the boy as she spun her yo-yo defensively. "I'm not Kim, I'm Dark Cupid! I'll never stop! If I can't have love, then no one can!" He gripped the the bow tightly in his hand and Hummingbird prepared her hand to manifest another arrow. "Okay, Dark Cupid, I get it. Chloé totally burned you." Ladybug frowned as she stopped her yo-yo from spinning, but Hummingbird frowned and took a step towards the boy. "But that doesn't give you the excuse to take it out on all of Paris!"</p><p>     "Oh yes, it does! I won't stop until everyone's heart is crushed. Say adios to your loved ones. From now on, you'll hate them!" Dark Cupid grabbed an arrow and aimed it at Ladybug. Hummingbird quickly shot an arrow to counteract the one he shot as she grabbed Ladybug's hand and started to run off. Dark Cupid followed them, shooting arrows, and Ladybug blocked them with her yo-yo. As the villian flew over them, and Ladybug let out a small yelp as she tripped over a roof gutter. "Ladybug!" Hummingbird panicked and went to help the bluenette, but Ladybug latched her yo-yo to the gutter and waved Hummingbird off. "No! Stay! I'll be okay, just wait for Dark Cupid to pass us by."</p><p>     Hummingbird nodding while putting her bow away as she hid behind a chimney, and the silhouette of Dark Cupid passed them. The girl got ready to help her ally but a voice beat her to it. "Falling for me already, my lady?" Chat Noir smiled at the bluenette as he pulled Ladybug down next to him on his staff and wrapped his arms around her. "I need to talk to you." Hummingbird watched with curiosity at the two's interaction. <em>Do they always do this?</em> Surprisingly, Chat Noir had yet to notice her. "It’s going to have to wait. Dark Cupi—" The blond boy put a finger to her lips and shushed Ladybug as he softly smiled. "I swore to myself that I'd tell you as soon as I saw you. Ladybug, I-I—"</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     Hummingbird watched awkwardly, not quite sure if she should be seeing this. Ladybug looked at Chat Noir dumbfounded as Hummingbird averted her eyes. She gasped as she saw Dark Cupid fly up to the building and shoot an arrow at Ladybug. "Chat Noir, Ladybug, Look out!" Hummingbird screamed, mad at herself for not taking her bow out sooner. At first, Chat Noir looked at Hummingbird in confusion, but then his eyes widened as he saw the arrow being shot his way. In one swift motion, he spun around to shield Ladybug, causing himself to get hit. "Chat Noir!" Ladybug cried out as Hummingbird shot arrows at Dark Cupid's retreating figure. </p>
  <p>     "Ladybug, I—I loathe you!" Chat Noir growled as he squeezed his arms tighter around the heroine and his lips turned black. "Chat Noir, snap out of it!" Ladybug frowned as she tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but the boy only brought her closer to him. "You're nothing Ladybug, and nothing to me! I hate you!" Hummingbird watched as Ladybug froze.</p>
  <p>     Hummingbird huffed as she jumped off the roof and jumped onto Chat Noir's foot. The blond boy yelped as he let go of Ladybug, and the bluenette wrapped an arm around Hummingbird's waist and jumped on the edge of the staff to launch them into the air. Hummingbird wrapped her arm around Ladybug's shoulder in confusion as the bluenette grappled her yo-yo onto a lamppost and sent them rolling into Le Grand Paris. </p>
  <p>     "Ladybug, Hummingbird, it's about time, where have you been?" Chloé asked from behind a table, and Hummingbird rolled her eyes as she stood up from the floor. "You two need to get out of here." She told Chloé and Sabrina as Ladybug got up and nodded in agreement. "Your friend Kim's turned into Dark Cupid and I don't know what he'll do if he finds you here." The bluenette told the two girls, and Chloé simply rolled her eyes.</p>
  <p>     "<em>Moi?</em> But how could he possibly have a vendetta against me?" The blonde smirked as she walked over to the two heroines and wrapped her arms around their shoulders. Hummingbird rolled her eyes and took the girls arm off her. "Who doesn't?" She muttered, and Chloé pointed outside to the large poster of Adrien with a signature in the bottom corner. <em>I thought Adrien hated signing autographs. </em>Hummingbird looked at it suspiciously as Chloé smirked. "Duh! It's because of this. Everyone would love to get their hands on it. That's Adrien, a super hot guy in my class. And rich, too! He's hot for me of course."</p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     "Not according to the poem." Ladybug muttered under her breath, and Hummingbird rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms to look at Chloé. "You're telling me you only like the dude for his looks and his pockets? That's the most shallow thing I've ever heard." The girl said, and the other three in the room looked at her with surprise. Chloé opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by Sabrina screaming. "It's alive!" The redhead yelled as she pointed to the poster of Adrien. The poster waddled into the hotel until Dark Cupid emerged from behind it and threw it to the side. </p>
  <p>     The villian grabbed his bow and started to shoot arrows at the girls, but Ladybug deflected them by spinning her yo-yo and Hummingbird shot her own arrows to make them explode. Ladybug made her way around the room as Dark Cupid followed her. From the entrance, she lassoed her yo-yo around Chloé and dragged her out as Hummingbird grabbed Sabrina by the arm and followed. "Daddy!" Chloé screamed as she was being dragged onto the street, and Ladybug pulled her up from off the ground. "Run, Chloé! Run!" Ladybug called out as Hummingbird pushed Chloé and Sabrina onto the sidewalk.</p>
  <p>     Dark Cupid followed the two girls, but before the heroines could make their next move, Chat Noir dropped in and landed in front of Ladybug and Hummingbird. "Well, well. If it isn't Ladybug and Hummingbird." He taunted as he pulled out his staff and rested it on his shoulder. Hummingbird grabbed her bow and prepared to manifest an arrow but was stopped by Ladybug grabbing her wrist. "I don't want to fight you, Chat Noir." The bluenette told her partner as she spun her yo-yo defensively, and the blond rolled his eyes in disgust. "Ugh, that friendliness. It's so revolting. You are definitely not my friend!"</p>
  <p>     Chat Noir launched himself into the air and Ladybug gasped. The two heroines rolled out of the way before he could hit them, and Ladybug jumped onto a streetlight as Hummingbird manifested an arrow. The girl aimed it at Chat Noir, but yelped as she felt string wrap around her waist. Her arrow shot into the sky as Hummingbird was launched over to Ladybug, accidentally kicking Chat Noir in the process. The bluenette wrapped an arm around Hummingbird's waist as she used her yo-yo to bring them onto a roof. As they landed, Ladybug let go of Hummingbird and the two began to run while Chat Noir followed. "I could've gotten up here myself, y'know." Hummingbird muttered as they jumped onto a different roof, and Ladybug rolled her eyes. "Focus, Hummingbird!" </p>
  <p>     As they jumped over another roof, Ladybug turned around and wrapped her yo-yo on Chat Noir's staff. The blond huffed as he struggled to grab his staff back, and Hummingbird created an arrow. "What's your deal?" Hummingbird called out to the boy as Ladybug nodded in agreement. "Why are you so full of hate, Chat Noir?!" The bluenette asked the boy. "Because hate conquers all!" Chat Noir growled, and Hummingbird shook her head with a frown. "I hate to break it to you, but hate doesn't conquer all. Love does!"</p>
  <p>     Ladybug froze at the girl's words, smiling as an idea came into her head. "That's it!" Hummingbird looked at her curiosly as Chat Noir growled. "You're just buying time! Fight!" The blond broke his staff into two as Ladybug retracted her yo-yo. "I'll do better than that." The bluenette said with a smirk, and Hummingbird and Chat Noir looked at her in confusion. "Huh?" The two said as they watched Ladybug walk up to Chat Noir. "Come on, kitty kitty, just a peck..." Hummingbird watched in confusion as Ladybug leaned in to kiss Chat Noir, but the boy pulled back with a yelp. "Almost!" The bluenette huffed.</p>
  <p>     "Get back, you savage!" Chat Noir yelped as he backed up onto the edge of the rooftop. Hummingbird dropped her bow as she looked at Ladybug, confused. "What are you doing?! Can't you wait until <em>after</em> we capture the akuma? Don't tell me you always do this in the middle of a battle!" Hummingbird shook her head as Chat Noir jumped onto a different rooftop and ran away. The two heroines started to follow him as Ladybug looked at Hummingbird in disgust. "What? Gross! Like you said, love conquers all. We need to kiss him to get him back to normal!" </p>
  <p>     "<em>What?</em>" Hummingbird asked, still very confused, and Ladybug just rolled her eyes. "Trust me on this!" She said before turning her attention to the blond boy. "Here, kitty kitty kitty! Come here!" She called out to him. "Pspspspspspsps!" Hummingbird yelled, and she held back a smile when Chat Noir briefly turned to face her. The two heroines continued to chase the hero, and they managed to finally catch up to him as he tried to jump onto a courtyard. Ladybug lassoed her yo-yo on his foot and Chat Noir dropped his staff with a yelp. </p>
  <p>     In a swift movement, Ladybug tied Chat Noir onto a lamppost and used the string to hang upside down. Hummingbird landed next to them, watching awkwardly as Ladybug turned to face Chat Noir. <em>Is she really about to Spiderman this right now? I would hate to be around them everyday if this is their usual routine.</em> "No, no!" Chat Noir cried out as he tried to shake off the string. "Don't worry, I'm not looking forward to it either..." Ladybug muttered as she tried to kiss him twice, but each time Chat Noir moved his head out of the way. Ladybug huffed and pinched his nose to prevent him from dodging the next kiss. "I can't believe I'm doing this..." The bluenette sighed as she started lean in.</p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     Hummingbird felt as if it were necessary to turn around and give them privacy. When she started to look away, she gasped as she saw Dark Cupid let go of an arrow that was headed straight for Ladybug's back. "Speeding Hum!" Hummingbird yelled, and the moment time stopped, she let out a groan. Although she had managed to prevent the direct hit, she wasn't entirely sure how to create a "window of opportunity" and put her minute to use. <em>What now? Think, Y/n. Window of opportunity. Windows of opportunity... </em>Hummingbird glanced at Chat Noir. She contemplated the thought on kissing him and getting him back on the team, but shook her head in disgust. <em>Ladybug can fix that. </em></p>
  <p>     Hummingbird looked back at Ladybug and the arrow that was three feet away from her. <em>Obviously I have to save her, or else she won't be able to use the Lucky Charm and turn everything to normal... But how is saving her using a window of opportunity? There has to be something else...</em> Hummingbird let out a heavy sigh as she walked over to the bluenette. <em>God damn it. There's no time for all this cryptic stuff, I need to save Ladybug.</em> The girl huffed as she pulled the bluenette down, out of the arrow's way, and yanked the yo-yo to come back to her. Time started to go back to speed, and Hummingbird let out a yelp as the yo-yo smacked her on the forehead. </p>
  <p>     Ladybug looked at Hummingbird in confusion as she handed the bluenette her yo-yo back. Hummingbird grabbed Ladybug's wrist to hide behind a tree as Dark Cupid sent a wave of arrows their way. "Did you use you super power?" Ladybug asked as they watched Chat Noir grab his staff. "I had to save you somehow." Hummingbird muttered as Chat Noir joined Dark Cupid and stood next to the fountain. "How you gonna fight both of us now, bird poop and bug eyes?" <em>Bird poop? That's the best insult he's got?</em> Chat Noir fist bumped Dark Cupid before calling out his Cataclysm and smirking as he looked around for the two heroines. "I've often wondered what would happen if I use my Cataclysm on someone..."</p>
  <p>     "Lucky Charm!" Hummingbird watched as a heart-shaped candy apple fell to the bluenette's hand. "A candy apple?" Ladybug muttered to herself as she looked at the heart-shaped treat. "What are you supposed to do with that?" Hummingbird asked her as Ladybug hummed in thought. "Think, Ladybug..." The bluenette muttered to herself as she looked around the area. Ladybug lit up as an idea popped into her head and she turned to face Hummingbird. "Hummingbird, I need you to do a favor for me. I'll go for Dark Cupid, and you fight Chat Noir."</p>
  <p>     "I thought y—" Hummingbird began to protest, but Ladybug interrupted her by shaking her head and placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "<em>Please,</em> Hummingbird. Trust me on this." The girl looked at Ladybug's blue eyes before reluctantly nodding. Ladybug beamed at her before jumping out from behind the tree and spinning her yo-yo. "Hey! I've got a Valentine's gift for you!" The bluenette called out to them, and Chat Noir and Dark Cupid started to run towards her to attack Ladybug. Dark Cupid shot arrows at her, and Ladybug deflected them with her yo-yo. Chat Noir started to lunge his hand at her, but Hummingbird ran behind him and used his belt to yank him to the ground. </p>
  <p>     As Chat Noir fell back to the floor, Ladybug jumped off his shoulders and landed onto a statue to throw the candy apple at Dark Cupid's head. "Looks like you got yourself in a sticky situation!" Ladybug called out to him with a smirk as he took the heart-shaped sweet off his head, only for it to stick onto his hand. Chat Noir started to stand back up and Hummingbird yelped as she ran away from him. <em>If I can somehow get him beneath me I can trap him with a net arrow... </em>"Ladybug!!" Hummingbird heard Dark Cupid yell, and she turned around to see the villian's hands stuck to his bow as Ladybug tries to tie him up with her yo-yo.</p>
  <p>     Chat Noir lunged his hand at her, and Hummingbird dodged it by sliding under him. She turned to shoot a blunt-tipped arrow at the boy's back to stun him as she continued to run. "Who do you think you are, little birdy? My replacement? You're nothing! Useless! Unnecessary!" Chat Noir yelled at her as he followed Hummingbird. "On the contrary, tomcat, at least I'm smart enough to not get brain washed like you." Hummingbird smirked at the hero as she jumped onto the lamppost. She tried to jump onto the fountain's statue, but Chat Noir launched himself off of it to tackle the girl to the ground. "Chat Noir, her Miraculous!" Dark Cupid called out to him as he tried to make his way to the fountain to wash his hands.</p>
  <p>     "With pleasure! You're no Ladybug, but it'll have to do! Your little secret will be out of the bag!" Chat Noir smirked as he sat on top of the girl. Hummingbird struggled, and tried to wiggle out of his grasp. Before the boy could grab her necklace, Hummingbird let out a loud groan while rolling her eyes as she pulled his down face onto hers. As her lips met his, Hummingbird squeezed her eyes shut in order to not see Chat Noir's reaction. <em>Damn Chat Noir and his stupid soft lips for getting brain washed.</em> Hummingbird let go of the boy, glad that it was over, and opened her eyes to be met with a confused Chat Noir sitting on top of her.</p>
  <p>     "Huh? What am I doing here?" Chat Noir asked, and Hummingbird sighed in relief as she saw that his lips turned back to his normal color. She pushed the boy off of her and grabbed him from off the floor, careful to not touch his Cataclysm. "Explanation will have to wait! Ladybug! Outta the way!" The bluenette looked at Hummingbird in confusion before jumping out of the way. "The quiver pin, Chat Noir! Now!" Hummingbird spun around once before throwing Chat Noir in Dark Cupid's direction. Chat Noir screamed before landing on top of the villian and falling to the ground with a grunt.</p>
  <p>     "Grab it! Grab the pin!" Hummingbird screamed at the blond hero, and Dark Cupid tried to reach for his bow. "No!" He yelled, and Chat Noir smirked. Thankfully, his Cataclysm landed on Dark Cupid's sash. "Sorry, need that." Chat Noir slyly smiled as he grabbed the pin from Dark Cupid's chest and threw the jewelry at Ladybug. "Happy Valentine's Day!" Ladybug caught it and Hummingbird sighed in relief. "Awww, you shouldn't have..." Ladybug smiled before dropping the quiver pin to the ground.</p>
  <p>     "Whoops!" The bluenette stomped on the gem and watched as a little black butterfly flew from out of the crack. "No more evil-doing for you, little akuma. Time to de-evilize!" Hummingbird watched as Ladybug did her routine. She never really understood why the bluenette felt like it was necessary to always repeat the same lines when catching the akuma. It's not like Ladybug <em>needed</em> it in order for the magic to work, but it's not like Hummingbird was going to tell her to stop. "Gotcha! Bye bye, little butterfly." Ladybug opened the yo-yo and Hummingbird watched the white butterfly fly off into the distance. "Miraculous Ladybug!"</p>
  <p>     As the bluenette threw the Lucky Charm into the air, a swarm of ladybugs soared through the sky and turned everything back to normal. "Huh?" Hummingbird heard Kim say as she walked over to her two allies. "Pound it!" The three heroes fist bumped and Hummingbird felt herself smile until her Miraculous let out a beep. "Thank you for everything, Hummingbird. I couldn't have done this without you" Ladybug told the girl, as she held her hand out to the heroine to shake. "Oh— Uh, no problem Ladybug!" Hummingbird blushed at the statement as she shook the bluenette's hand. Ladybug's Miraculous let out a beep and the heroine smiled. "Oops!"</p>
  <p>     The bluenette waved and turned around to leave, but Chat Noir took a step towards her and frowned. "Wait, Ladybug! I gotta tell you something." Hummingbird decided to turn around and help Kim up off the floor. "What's wrong Chat?" Hummingbird heard Ladybug say as she smiled at Kim. The boy waved at the heroine and ran off as Hummingbird turned back to her allies. "I just wanted to say..." He was cut off by his Miraculous beeping, and Ladybug took another step back. "Look out, Cat Noir, your ring is flashing!"</p>
  <p>     Ladybug's Miraculous let out another beep and Chat Noir pointed to her earrings. "Uhh... yours too!" The blond boy said. Hummingbird was unsure whether or not she should leave yet. She looked down at her necklace and saw that three of the petals were already silver. Ladybug let out a laugh. "We're all about to turn into pumpkins, and personally, I'd rather not see that." Ladybug waved and ran off to the rooftops. Hummingbird walked up to Chat Noir and patted the hero on his back. "Better luck next time, bud."</p>
  <p>     Chat Noir gave her a sad smile as he turned around to leave. Hummingbird bit her lip as she thought about what happened earlier, and she placed a hand on Chat Noir's shoulder. "Hey, wait! I just wanted to say I'm really sorry about that kiss. If I didn't, you would've—" Chat Noir cut her off by looking at Hummingbird with confusion. "What kiss?" The girl looked at him blankly before awkwardly laughing. <em>Of course he doesn't remember. Now I just look stupid.</em> "Nevermind. <em>Au revoir,</em> alleycat!" Hummingbird gave him one last wave before the two heroes ran off in two opposite directions. </p>
  <p>     Hummingbird's Miraculous let out another beep, and she quietly cursed as she saw all but the top petal turned silver. <em>Not enough time to make it home, damn.</em> Hummingbird landed in an alleyway and made sure the coast was clear. She quietly sighed as she leaned against the brick building wall. "Let's land." She muttered, and the alleyway lit up as Vinca landed in Y/n's hands.</p>
  <p>     "Where's my food?" The kwami frowned, and Y/n let out a laugh. "No 'good job' or anything, huh? That kind of hurts, Vinca." The kwami shrugged and patted her stomach. Y/n rolled her eyes as she set the kwami back into the backpack. "There's half of a granola bar in there. I'll head back to Marinette's and grab you a bear claw or something." The girl sighed in relief, proud of her work today, as she walked back onto the street and made her way back to Marinette's house.</p>
  <hr/>
</div><p>     "Hahaha! Can you believe all the horrible thoughtless things you said to Ladybug and Hummingbird?" Plagg laughed as he flew around Adrien with a slice of cheese in hand. He ate the slice of Camembert with a smile as the blond boy frowned at his kwami. "You think it's funny, huh?" Adrien huffed as he fell face first into his bed. Plagg rolled his eyes at the boy as he flew over to the desk filled with small presents and letters. "What's the big deal? You've got so many cards from all these lady fans of yours! Take your pick!" Plagg shuffled through the deck as Adrien stayed on his bed. He threw a heart-shaped card to the side, but it slowly floated over to the boy's bed. </p><p>     Adrien looked at the pink, gold-trim outlined card with a gasp as he realized the familiar structure of the writing. "Whoa, hold up! Someone answered one of my poems? But I threw them away!" Plagg looked at his wielder with curiosity as he flew over to his shoulder and read the card with him. "'Your hair shines like the sun, your eyes are gorgeous green, I look at you and wonder your innermost thoughts and dreams. Yes, your Valentine I will be, our love will be so true, together for eternity, my heart belongs to you.'"</p><p>     "Aww, well, anyone who writes as sickeningly sweet as you must be your soulmate." Plagg mockinly rolled his eyes as Adrien looked at the card with a soft smile. "It isn't signed..." Adrien frowned, looking around the pink card for any form of identification. He watched his card with surprise as a small red ladybug flew into his room and landed on the card. He felt hope built up inside of him as the ladybug flew away as quickly as it had arrived. He followed the small bug back to his window and watched it disappear over the horizon. "Could it have come from Ladybug? Maybe... Maybe Y/n?" The boy quietly swooned, and Plagg rolled his eyes as he went to grab another slice of cheese. "Oh, please." </p><hr/><p>     "What do you mean, you don't remember?!" Y/n groaned as she looked at the bluenette. Marinette sheepishly laughed as Alya smiled next to Y/n. "Did you sign the card or not?" The brunette asked, and Marinette did her best to look around her desk in order to avoid eye contact with her friends. "I don't know! The ladybug came along while I was writing, then you guys were yapping about Alya's blog, and then... It's all a blur!" She defended, and Y/n smiled at her with a heavy sigh. </p><p>     "<em>Marinette,</em> you had one shot and you totally blew it! Who knows when you'll get a confidence spike like that again!?" Y/n shook her head at the idea of the situation at hand and the brunette started to giggle. "I don't believe you! The girl didn't even sign it! I love you and all, but sometimes you seriously bug! You know that, right?" Alya wholeheartedly beamed at the girl, and Marinette felt a smile grow on her face. All three of them started laughing, and it gotten so bad to the point where the three girls were sprawled across the floor, trying to catch their breath.</p><hr/><p>     "You're confusing, Y/n." Vinca muttered as the girl sat down in her chair. The girl looked at her kwami with furrowed brows as she set the singular rose bowl on her desk. "What makes you say that?" Y/n asked as Vinca rolled her eyes and pointed to the rose bowl. "I thought you said you were trying to get rid of your crush on Marinette. Why keep the rose she put in your hair?" The kwami looked at her wielder expectantly, but the girl turned away from her with pursed lips. She avoided the question by getting up to turn on her Switch as the kwami sighed.</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     In all honesty, Y/n doesn't exactly know why she kept the rose. She just couldn't bring herself to throw it away or leave it to wilt. Y/n watched as Vinca flew over to the dresser, grabbed the I am Iron Man Funko Pop, and flew over to the slightly open glass door. "You better talk or else the tin can gets it." Vinca frowned, and Y/n jumped up to grab the Funko Pop in panic. "Okay! Okay! You leave Tony <em>alone.</em>" Y/n huffed as she set the figurine back in its place on the dresser. Y/n sluggishly walked back to her chair and sat down as she opened the Animal Crossing game. </p>
  <p>     "It's just... Ahhh, I don't <em>know</em>, Vinca, and that's the problem! I know I don't have a chance with Marinette, but I can't seem to let her go. Every time I think my crush is over with, a simple gesture like touching my shoulder or grabbing my hand or sitting next to me makes me all... fluttery? It's really hard to explain and I absolutely <em>hate</em> it..." The girl groaned as she slouched over the desk and buried her head into her arms. Vinca watched with her a frown and comfortingly patted the girl's head. Unbeknownst to Y/n, a visitor was making his way to her balcony.</p>
  <p>     Chat Noir took a deep breath as he looked at the large box of chocolates in his hand and landed softly on the small balcony. He peeked through the slightly opened glass and saw Y/n's figure. Her back was towards the door as her head was buried into her arms, and she was sitting at her desk as the Animal Crossing music played in the background on her TV. "What's with all the brooding? And you left your door open? Are you <em>trying</em> to get killed?" Y/n screamed at the sound of his voice and jumped up from out of her seat. She briefly watched Vinca disappear through the dresser, hopefully hiding in a drawer, and Y/n turned around to face the intruder. </p>
  <p>     "Chat Noir? Are you an idiot?! You can't keep scaring me like that!" Y/n huffed as she leaned again her desk. "That just means I've gotten better at sticking the landing." Chat Noir winked as he took that as an invitation to come in and the hero flopped onto the twin bed. "Dude, why are you in my house?" Y/n muttered as she sat back down in her chair, swivelling it around to face the bed as Chat Noir sat up with a smirk. "There's nothing wrong with visiting a friend, now is there?" Y/n looked at the boy skeptically before rolling her eyes. "I don't know why you'd want to visit <em>me</em> of all people at like 8:30 at night, but sure. Fine. Whatever. Be my guest."</p>
  <p>     "Are you home alone?" Chat Noir asked, realizing how loud they were being as he glanced at the room's door. Y/n looked at him with wide and offended eyes as she got ready to tell him off. Before she could respond, Chat Noir shook his head rapidly as his cheeks became a bright pink. "I didn't mean it like <em>that,</em> you weirdo!" He said with a frown, and Y/n let out a laugh. "Yeah, it's just me. My piblings went out on a date night since, y'know, it's Valentine's Day. They're coming back at around 9:30, so I want you <em>out of here</em> before nine." Y/n scrolled through her phone as she mindlessly spun around her chair. Hopefully her tactic was working and Chat Noir would leave soon because of how boring she was being.</p>
  <p>     "Piblings?" Chat Noir asked with a smirk on his face. Y/n stopped spinning her chair as she looked at the blond boy blankly, just realizing she used the vocabulary word Adrien told her about last week. "Oh, uhm. That's a collective word for aunt and uncle. A friend of mine told me about it." Y/n spun her chair away from Chat Noir and quietly cringed. "Interesting." She heard the boy say as she picked up her controller and began to play. Fifteen minutes passed, Y/n managed to clean up her island a little as Chat Noir let out a yawn. "I don't understand the hype for this game."</p>
  <p>     "No one's forcing you to stay here, <em>chaton.</em>" Y/n told him as she set her controller down to face him. Chat Noir slyly grinned at her and shrugged. Y/n playfully rolled her eyes, but Chat Noir started to frown as his attention was brought to the rose bowl centerpiece on the girl's desk. "You had a valentine?" Chat Noir asked, and Y/n looked at him confused before following his line of vision to the centerpiece. "No. The flower a friend gave to me, and the rose bowl was a centerpiece that George and Skylar had at their wedding. They still had a couple extras stored away, so I thought it'd be the best place to store the rose. What about you? Did the kitty manage to get a valentine?"</p>
  <p>     "No. The person I was hoping to ask didn't really show much interest." Chat Noir muttered as he looked out the glass door. Y/n frowned as she turned to face the blond boy. "Ladybug, right?" She asked, and Chat Noir processed her words before slowly nodding. "Yeah... Ladybug." The room got silent for a while, and Y/n was unsure why it suddenly got so awkward. After another minute or so, Chat Noir let out a yawn as he stood up. "Welp, I better get going before I accidentally fall asleep here. Your bed is pretty comfortable." </p>
  <p>     "It's comfortable to you? It's literally a stack of bricks to me! But, yeah, I'll see you, hopefully not soon." Y/n smirked and waved at him as he made his way towards the door. Chat Noir stopped in his tracks before leaving the room, and he slowly turned around to face Y/n again. "Actually, there's another thing. I don't know you all that well, but I do consider you a friend, <em>chaton</em>. I just wanted to give you a gift." The blond boy handed her a heart-shaped box filled with chocolates and Y/n looked at it with surprise, not sure how she didn't see it until now. "Chat Noir, I can't tak—"</p>
  <p>     "No, please. I insist." The hero gave her a soft smile as he leaned in to give Y/n a kiss on the forehead. Y/n panicked, the scenario not quite sitting right with her. Y/n loudly cleared her throat as she grabbed Chat Noir's hand and lifted her knuckles towards him. The blond looked at her blankly, a little embarrassed, and Y/n tried her best to not let her smile get awkward. Chat Noir softly smiled as he pressed a kiss to her knuckles and walked out to the balcony.</p>
  <p>     "Til next time, Chat Noir." Y/n smiled at the hero as he positioned himself to jump off. He looked back at her and waved. "See you sometime soon, <em>mon chéri. Adieu!</em>" The boy sent her one last wink before disappearing into the night. Y/n collapsed in her bed and let out a nervous laugh as Vinca flew out from the drawers. "Yikes! That was the worst awkward tension I've felt in a while." Y/n groaned as Vinca nodded and hummed in agreement. "Tell me about it. I'm telling you, Y/n, that boy definitely likes you." Vinca flew down to the bed and Y/n let out a laugh. "Yeah, right. Now you're over exaggerating, Vinca." The girl shook her head as she stood up to grab her controller, and her kwami simply rolled her eyes before going to sleep.</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this chapter was a long one yikesss but its my favorite chapter so far heheh. i feel like the last couple of chapters is very heavy on the adrien/nino/reader friendship so i wanted to give some love to alya and marinette this chapter, probably the next couple of chapters too. i hope you liked the chapter!! i had a lot of fun with this one. leave a comment or a kudos if you liked it too!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. The Drama Club</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     "Master Fu, I don't quite understand. I thought you were going to train me to be the next Guardian or something?" Y/n asked as she set down her tea and held the stack of Hummingbird papers in her other hand. Wayzz and Vinca, who were sitting on an empty plate that used to hold cookies, perked up at the question and looked curiously at Master Fu, who was drinking his tea with his eyes closed.</p><p>     "In due time, Y/n." He smiled as he glanced at the girl, and Y/n frowned while setting down the papers. "I'm sorry Master, I can't help but be curious. If Hawk Moth has the butterfly Miraculous, does that mean he might have the peacock one as well? Why was the hummingbird Miraculous made first? Wouldn't it have to have been the third one? Power of balance, the Miraculous creators must've known about the power of creation and destruction first, and <em>then</em> made the peacekeeper, no? It's not adding up. Also, why can I purify akumas? What's so special about me and Ladybug that—"</p><p>     "Patience is a virtue, Y/n. I understand you have many questions, but they are ones I can't answer until you become stronger. The week trial was to prove you're worthy of wielding the hummingbird Miraculous, but it didn't stop there. It's a constant battle, but your growth in knowledge and strength will lead you to level of trust where I can finally answer your questions. Until then, I enjoy the company, and the tea break." The old man smiled at her again as Y/n slouched her shoulders. She let out a sigh, knowing he was right, but continued to pout.</p><p>     "Master Fu has a point about you needing to get stronger. When was the last time you summoned Plagg and Tikki and checked up on Ladybug and Chat Noir?" Vinca asked as she lazily laid back down. Y/n's cheeks heated up in embarrassment as she averted her gaze down into her teacup. "I've been busy, okay? Besides, I'm literally friends with Adrien and Marinette. If I feel like anything's wrong I can just text them." Vinca rolled her eyes at the girl's words as Y/n picked up her cup and took a sip.</p><p>     "Playing Animal Crossing until one in the morning is not busy, Y/n." Vinca told the girl as Y/n hid her face in her cup with red cheeks. "You may know how Adrien and Marinette feel, but you don't know how <em>Chat Noir </em>and<em> Ladybug</em> feel. That's why you talk to Tikki and Plagg, because us kwamis become apart of your thoughts after you transform." Wayzz explained with a small smile. "You need to know what Chat Noir and Ladybug's thoughts are in order to keep balance." Vinca finished explaining. Master Fu hummed in agreement as Y/n let out a small sigh.</p><p>     "Okay, okay. I get it. I'll do it tonight. Can we change the subject? Why did we skip over this section of the pages? These three pages have fifteen different pictures of arrows and I can't even read on how to summon them." Y/n passed the three papers to Master Fu as he skimmed over the paragraphs. "As much as I'd love to explain these to you, it seems that our time is up." Master Fu stood up and grabbed his empty cup and the empty plate as Y/n looked at him blankly. She pulled out her phone, and sure enough it was already 6:00 pm. </p><p>     "If you want, I can translate it to you on paper, and you can read it tomorrow after school." Master Fu said with a smile as Y/n stood up and grabbed the half empty tea pot and her cup. "That'd be great, Master. Thank you." She told him as they walked to the small kitchen. Y/n placed the tea pot and cup on the counter near the sink and made her way towards her backpack, which was on the floor against the table. Master Fu began to wash the dishes as Vinca and Wayzz exchanged goodbyes. </p><p>     As the teal kwami flew into the front pocket, Y/n stood at the doorway hesitantly. "Master Fu? When will you— ...When will <em>I</em> know when I'm strong enough? I genuinely want to aide you with all this Gurdian stuff, but I don't want to mess this up." Y/n looked at the short old man as he turned off the sink. Master Fu turned around and smiled at the girl. "It seems that only time will tell, Y/n. I put my trust in you, just do your part and the rest will come easy." Y/n looked at him confused, not exactly understanding him. Nonetheless, she waved at Master Fu with a smile before walking out the door and going on her way home.</p><hr/><p>     Y/n was going to transform and go out on patrol before going home, but she got a text from George for her to come home early. So, she went through the metro and walked to her apartment complex as she tried to solve the upcoming conspiracies in her head. <em>What book did those Hummingbird papers come from? Is there pages on the other heroes? Like for Chat and Ladybug?</em> Y/n sighed to herself as she grabbed the keys to the apartment. Opening the door, she was met with a napping George on the couch and a stressed Skylar typing on her laptop. </p><p>     "Is everything alright?" Y/n asked worriedly as Skylar looked up and smiled at her. "Yeah! Sorry, George and I were planning to take you out today, have some bonding time, but Mr. Agreste texted me and told me to do some last minute calculations on his new design. I'm almost done! All I have to do is fogure out how wide and what type of stitching will compliment the fabric,You should go finish up your homework. I'll have George get you when we're done." Y/n nodded and waved at her aunt as the woman looked back at her laptop and countinued her work. </p><p>     Once arriving at her room, Y/n closed the door and set her backpack next to her vanity. "What are you doing?" Vinca asked as Y/n opened the front pouch and let the kwami fly onto her desk. "I'm going on patrol, duh." Y/n muttered as she threw her shoes into her closet. "But Y/n, you have homework." Vinca furrowed her brows and crossed her arms. Y/n rolled her eyes and walked over to the glass door. "Vinca, that can wait. Master Fu needs me to get stronger, so that's exactly what I'll do." </p><p>     "Right now your priority should be in your education. You're passing by fine considering you've finally got the ropes on French, but if you keep procrastinating and making this a habit you'll be under stress. Not to mention you aunt and uncle are right down the hall. What will they think if they see the glass door open and you were no where to be found?" Vinca told the girl as she let go of the glass door handle. Y/n hesitantly walked back to her backpack and sighed heavily.</p><p>     "Like Master Fu said, with due time. Getting stronger won't be overnight. Besides, Master doesn't just mean stronger physically. He means it in all aspects. Emotionally, Mentally, Energy-wise, etcetera. Just do what you do and time will come before you know it!" Vinca beamed and helped bring a pencil to the desk as Y/n grabbed her tablet and notebook. The girl softly smiled, glad that her kwami was able to cheer her up, and sat down and got to work. </p><p>     At around 7:30 pm, Y/n heard a soft knock at the door. She paused her music and Vinca hid inside the drawer as George opened the door. "Hey, N/n. You done? Skylar is kind of falling asleep so I think it'd be best if we head out now." Y/n nodded and turned off her tablet as she went to grab a pair of shoes and her mini backpack. As George walked back to the living room, Y/n opened the bag and had Vinca quickly fly inside of it.</p><p>     Double checking that her kwami had a snack, Y/n zipped up the bag and let out a small sigh of relief. "Where are we going?" She asked as walked into the living room. Skylar gave her a tired smile as George grabbed his wallet off the counter. "We're getting some Chinese takeout and having dinner at a park. It's very lowkey, but I think it'd be nice." George said as he walked to the couch and put on his shoes.</p><p>     "We were going to take you to the movies since we wouldn't be able to do it this weekend, but George and I got a little sleepy." Skylar smiled as she grabbed her purse, and Y/n let out a little giggle. "It's all good! It means a lot that we're even hanging out in the first place. Besides, it is a school night so it would make sense to do a raincheck." George opened the apartment door for Skylar and Y/n and let out a laugh as he locked it behind him. "A late movie, mess up your sleep schedule? Psh, yeah right! There's always a dim light coming from your room whenever I get home from work. It'll be two in the morning sometimes and I hear that Animal Crossing music play!" </p><p>     Y/n blushed in embarrassment as Skylar laughed and they made their way to the elevator. "Hey, I only stay awake until one in the morning, <em>max.</em> But can you blame me? The game's addicting!" Y/n huffed and crossed her arms as George chuckled and pressed the lobby button. "Either way, you should really fix your sleep schedule, N/n. You don't wanna get deep eyebags like us millennials over here." Skylar grinned and pinched George's cheek as Y/n let out a laugh. </p><p>     George let out a huff and rolled his eyes. "So, N/n, how's the drama club going?" At the question, Y/n froze. She sheepishly smiled as Skylar beamed next to her. "Oh, that's right! You need to tell is when your show is so we can get the day off!" Skylar smiled, and Y/n looked at her aunt with an awkward smile. "I—Uhm, it's going good! Y'know, acting and stuff. They haven't done auditions yet so I don't exactly know when the show will be, but I will definitely let you know!" She let out an awkward laugh as they walked out the elevator and made their way to the small parking garage.</p><p>     "You better!" Skylar smiled, and George nodded in agreement. "I'm proud of you for getting a new hobby! We should celebrate next week or so. Have a classic Smash Bros and Mario Kart tournament!" He said, and Y/n looked at her with a thin smile. "Yep! Totally!" Skylar and George began to talk amongst themselves about work as Y/n held in a groan. As they reached the car, the girl sat in the backseat and looked out the window with a small pout. <em>Guess I better join the drama club.</em></p><hr/><p>     "Go to bed early!" George called out as Y/n gave them a hug and made her way towards her room. She turned back around them with a smile as Skylar sleepily waved and laid on the bed. "I will! Night, Skylar! Night, George!" Y/n closed her door and let out sigh as she flopped onto her bed. It was late, already 11 pm. After having lunch at the park, George and Skylar decided that'd it'd be nice to walk down the Siene River. It was fun at first, viewing the nice scenery the city had to offer, but then they took a wrong turn on the way back and lost the car. They spent over an hour looking for it and Y/n felt the blisters form on her feet by the time they found the car.</p><p>     "I just wanna say, I'm <em>highly</em> offended that you didn't save me a crab rangoon." Vinca frowned as she flew out of the backpack. Y/n rolled her eyes as she handed her kwami a small box. "But I <em>did</em> save you an egg roll, and some Chinese donuts for us to share." Vinca started to eat the food as Y/n got up and walked over to her closet to put away her shoes. With a sigh, she plopped onto her bed and looked at her Miraculous. </p><p>     "Should I do the summoning stuff tonight?" Y/n asked Vinca, who was halfway done with her egg roll. "I mean, sure. Just, don't go on your Switch tonight. You're gonna be very tired." Y/n nodded and sat down on her floor. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she got into her meditation position. As she opened the portal for Plagg, a green light filled in the room and the black kwami landed in the girl's lap with a groan. </p><p>     "You had to do it when I just got comfortable?" He huffed as he lazily sat up. Y/n smiled at him and rolled her eyes. Plagg flew over to Vinca and looked at the egg roll in disgust as Y/n opened the portal for Tikki. After the pink light flooded the room, Y/n quietly sighed and leaned against her bed as Tikki let out a small yawn. "It's been a while since the last summoning!" The red kwami smiled as she flew over to the desk. Y/n got up to sit at her chair as Plagg frowned and crossed his arms.</p><p>     "Still no Camembert? This is injustice!" Plagg whined while dramatically flopping over on the desk. Tikki giggled as Vinca rolled her eyes and shoved a Chinese donut in Plagg's mouth. "Chat Noir gives you enough Camembert as it is, Plagg. The poor guy stinks of cheese wherever he goes." Y/n smiled as the black kwami huffed and slowly ate the donut.</p><p>     "How are you, Y/n? It's been a while." Tikki asked as she sat down in front of the girl. Y/n sheepishly smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, I'm good. Sorry about that... Uhm, anything to report?" <em>How do I do this exactly?..</em>. Vinca handed Tikki a donut and the red kwami grateful grabbed it. "Nope! Everything's good on my end!" Tikki beamed as she took a bite of the treat. </p><p>     "No negative thoughts here. Just shameless pinning for Y— Ladybug! I meant Ladybug... hehehe." Plagg's eyes became wide as he realized his mistake. He nervously laughed before shoving the rest of the donut in his mouth. Tikki and Y/n looked him curiously as Vinca huffed in amusement. "Okay... Can you guys explain to me what the point of this is again? Like, I get that it's to check on Chat Noir and Ladybug and stuff, but what exactly does that do?"</p><p>     "You're checking to make sure the Miraculous' powers aren't being abused." Tikki explained with a smile. Vinca nodded in agreement as Plagg swallowed the food in his mouth. "You're also making sure the Miraculous aren't getting corrupt. Y'know... Like Hawk Moth's?" The black kwami told her as the information finally clicked to Y/n. "Ohhhhh, yeah that makes sense." </p><p>     "That's what I've been telling you! It's important to do this regularly, but <em>nooooo</em> you just wanna play Animal Crossing and watch Buzzfeed Unsolved reruns." Vinca huffed and glared at Y/n as the other two kwamis laughed. Y/n blushed in embarrassment as she let out a sheepish laugh. "Sorry! Sorry! I just feel like it's not really necessary, y'know? I trust Chat Noir and Ladybug, corrupting a Miraculous wouldn't really be in their mindset."</p><p>     "I get that you trust them, but just because they're your friends doesn't mean they're not capable of doing so." Vinca explained. Plagg nodded in agreement as he grabbed another Chinese donut. "Emotions can take the best of us sometimes. That's why you check up on us, to make sure that our owners are stable." Tikki told the girl and Y/n hummed in thought. "Yeah, I guess you're right." </p><p>     The three kwamis started to chat amongst themselves as Y/n watched them with a sleepy smile. After a while, she glanced at her phone and was surprised when she looked at the time. "<em>Merde,</em> no wonder I'm so tired! You guys have been here for forty minutes!" The three kwamis looked at her with worry as Vinca set down her donut and flew up to the girl. "Are you going to be okay for tomorrow?" Y/n let out a yawn and shrugged. "I mean, maybe I should pull an all-nighter to be sure..."</p><p>     "That is the worst idea I've ever heard." Plagg said, and Tikki smacked him on the head. "<em>Plagg,</em> you can't just say things like that!" She harshly whispered to him, and Y/n let out a giggle as the black kwami rubbed the spot on his head. "<em>OW!</em> I was just being honest!" Plagg frowned, and Vinca rolled her eyes. "He does have a point though. It's important to get your rest." She told her owner, and Y/n sleepily nodded her head.</p><p>     "Are you sure you have enough energy to send us back? We could always fly back..." Tikki asked the girl, and Y/n shook her head. "That's too dangerous. I'll be fine. Promise." The kwamis looked at her skeptically but Y/n sat down on the floor and got in her meditation position. She sent Tikki home first, followed by Plagg, and Y/n leaned against her desk and yawned. "Never doing that again." </p><p>     "Yeah that'd be wise..." Vinca muttered as Y/n sluggishly got up and closed the box that had two Chinese donuts left. "I've gotten lucky these last couple of times while summoning Tikki and Plagg. What would happen if Adrien or Marinette saw their Miraculous glow out of no where?" Y/n rambled as she changed into her pajamas. </p><p>     "Yeah... My advice, make a schedule with Tikki and Plagg, so you don't accidentally summon them at the wrong time." Vinca nodded in agreement as she flew over to the bed and laid down on her pillow in the corner. "Smart. I'll do that next time." Y/n yawned as she turned the lights off. She walked over to the bed and immediately fell asleep when her head hit her pillow.</p><hr/><p>     "Hey, Y/n! Alya and I are going to go hang out at my place afterschool, wanna come?" Marinette approached the sleepy girl as Y/n looked at the bluenette with a smile. "Yeah, I'll text my pib— Uh, Skylar and see if I can go." Y/n leaned against the railing as students walked past them. "Are you okay? You were late to first period and slept through all of it." Marinette placed a hand on the girl's forehead to see if she had a temperature. Y/n blushed as she grabbed Marinette's hand and took it off her face. </p><p>     "I'm fine, I swear! Just stayed awake late last night on accident while watching YouTube videos." Y/n and Marinette started walking down the corridor as students made their way to the lunch room and out the entrance. "What are you doing for lunch?" Marinette asked, and Y/n covered her mouth as she let out a yawn. "Uh, I think I'm going to the library? Or Nino's last class? I don't remember... I bullied Nino into buying Animal Crossing on his Switch yesterday and he asked me to help him start. If I don't find him I'll probably go take a nap or something." </p><p>     Marinette stopped in front of a classroom and smiled. "Oh, okay! Alya is finishing a quiz she missed, so I'll wait for her here. I'll see you after school!" Y/n smiled and waved at Marinette as she started to go down the stairs. She rubbed her eyes to try to wake herself up and yelped as her shoulder bumped into someone else's. "Woah, are you okay?" A familiar voice asked as they grabbed Y/n's arm to prevent her from falling down the stairs. Y/n looked at the figure and was surprised to be met with Richie looking at her with worry. </p><p>     "Yeah, I'm good! Thanks!" Y/n smiled as the older boy let go of her. "Are you sure?" Richie asked, and Y/n nodded while giving him a small smile. "I'm just a bit tired today is all. How, uhm, how is all the drama stuff going on?" She awkwardly asked, trying her best to seem polite through the small talk. Richie smiled at her as he let out small laugh. "Wow, I'm surprised you remembered! Yeah it's going good, preparing the set ideas and stuff for the upcoming spring show."</p><p>     "Oh, you guys already casted? I wasn't aware you guys had the audition." Y/n quietly cursed in her head as she looked for an excuse to tell Skylar and George. Richie smirked at her. "We haven't yet. The drama club just helps with setting up the theater in order to not push the school's funding. <em>I</em> wasn't aware you were interested?" </p><p>     "Uh— Yeah? Kinda?" Y/n let out another awkward laugh as Richie smiled. He looked at his phone in thought before looking up at the girl. "You wanna get some coffee?" Richie asked, and Y/n looked at him in surprise. "Oh... Isn't the closest café, like, twenty minutes away? I don't think we'd have enough time..." Y/n nervously smiled and Richie let out a small laugh. "No, I mean, here in the school. Ms. D snuck a coffee machine in the drama classroom and let's us use it. You look like you need some, so I thought it'd be nice to offer." </p><p>     "Okay then... Sure? Weren't you going upstairs though?" Y/n and Richie started walking down the stairs and the older boy shrugged his shoulders. "I was going to make some copies for a scene in the teacher's lounge, but I can always do that after school." The two walked and made small talk on their way to the drama classroom. As Richie opened the door for her, Y/n walked in and awkwardly looked at the students sitting at the tables. The eight people looked at her with curiosity.</p><p>     Richie waved at them and motioned Y/n to small makeup room in the back of the class. It didn't have a door, it was just a hole in the wall with ten mirrors and a microwave and coffee maker shoved into the corner. As the girl passed by the group she awkwardly waved and ran into the small room. She could hear the group whisper as Richi followed her in and pulled out a coffee cup from out of a cabinet. "Are theater kids always this... gossipy?" Y/n whispered to Richie as he set up the machine. </p><p>     "Yeah, kind of... But some groups are nicer than others. This group is fine, just curious about you." Richie started the coffee machine and sat on the counter as Y/n glanced at the group outside. "I guess it's not everyday the drama club president waltzes in the makeup room with a random freshman." Y/n quietly laughed to herself, and Richie looked at her in confusion. "Freshman?" Y/n looked at him blankly before rolling her eyes at the mistake and chuckling.</p><p>     "That's what you call student in year ten back in america. Year elevens are called sophomores, year twelves are called juniors, and year thirteens are called seniors. I forget that the schooling system is different sometimes." Y/n explained to the boy as he handed her the coffee cup. "Ohhhhh, that's easier I guess. So I'm a junior, right?" Y/n nodded and poured some coffe into her cup. </p><p>     "Well, I just wanted to bring you in here to see the club and stuff. I thought Ms. D was going to be here, but I guess she had to be somewhere." Richie told her as he put cream and sugar in his coffee. Y/n looked at him skeptically and grabbed a spoon. "Do you do this with every person you try to recruit?" Y/n asked as she put cream and sugar in her cup. Richie shook his head and took a small sip of the coffee. "No, I just always see you peek in the classroom all the time. If you ask me, you seem really interested, just hesitant for some reason." </p><p>     "Oh, well yeah I guess you're right." Y/n muttered as she put a lid on her coffee. She leaned against the counter as she spaced out. "Well... Is there reason? I don't mean to push, I'm just curious." Richie asked as he stood next to her. "Yeah, I just... I don't know... I don't want to bite more than I can chew. My schedule can get pretty full, and I don't want to push it. Also, I barely got the ropes when it comes to French. I don't want to get made fun of by a large group of people by my terrible accent."</p><p>     "It's not <em>that</em> bad... As for the schedule, the good thing about the drama <em>club</em> is that we only need to show up three times a week. The shows, yeah we have rehearsals and stuff, but that's a seperate thing. With the drama club, we just need to show up on Monday to get partners for a scene, any day Tuesday through Thursday to practice with your partner, and then Friday to do some acting exercises and perform the scene. We usually only have club for thirty minutes. Those who have time, like me, and some of those in the tech classes get to help out with the lighting and set building for volunteer hours. Its not obligated if you want to join the club." </p><p>     Y/n processed the boy's words as she took another sip of her coffee. "Hm... well... I guess it wouldn't be so bad... What do I need to join?" Richie lit up at the girl's words and jumped up from off the counter. "Awesome! Just come by after school and talk to Ms. Daigrepont. She'll give you a schedule a more detailed run down on how the drama club works, she'll be happy to have you on the team!" Richie smiled at the girl, and Y/n nodded as the bell rang.</p><p>     The students from in the classroom grabbed their stuff and walked out the door, and Y/n followed them with Richie walking next to her. "You could stay and watch some people practice today, you won't really be able to do anything until Friday." Richie explained as he walked with Y/n up the stairs. "Thanks a lot, Richie. Wouldn't have joined without you." Y/n waved at him and Richie waved back with a smirk. "I knew I'd be able to persuade you!"</p><hr/><p>     "Y/n, I thought you were going to meet Master Fu after school." Vinca whispered as Y/n snuck into the bathroom to give her kwami a granola bar. "I won't be that long. I'll just talk to the teacher and then bounce." She whispered. School had ended, and Y/n was shaking with nerves. She wasn't really prepared to talk to the teacher, or sure what to say to her. "What about Marinette? She invited you to go to her house. You can't be everywhere at once." Vinca, asked, and Y/n quietly cursed under her breath. "I'll text her after I'm done."</p><p>     Vinca frowned at the girl, but Y/n ignored her and zipped her backpack back up. She walked out of the bathroom and walked in the direction of the drama classroom. She peeked in through the window and saw a group of students reading lines off a paper. At the teacher's desk sat a short middle-aged woman with greying brown hair and hazel eyes. Y/n took a deep breath as she walked inside and towards the woman's desk. "Uhm... Ms. Daigrepont?" Y/n quietly muttered and the teacher looked up from her computer. "That's me! Please, call me Ms. D. How may I help you dear?" </p><p>     "Richie Crotteau told me to talk to you about joining the drama club?" Y/n said with more confidence, glad that the teacher had a welcoming atmosphere about her. "Really?! That's lovely! Glad to have you join us!" Ms. Daigrepont jumped out of her seat and walked over to a cabinet to flip through folders. "What's your name, dear?" The woman asked as she pulled out a sheet of paper. "Y/n L/n." The girl said as Ms. Daigrepont pulled out a pen. "Write your full name under the year you're in." Y/n looked down at the sheet as the woman walked away and looked through her folders again.</p><p>
  <em>Year 13 </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Benjamin Badre</em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Zack Morano </em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Marie Macadam </em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Janie Mirabelli </em> </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Year 12</em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Richie Crotteau - President</em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>David Lodovico - Vice President</em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Bastien Eldreth </em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Kathy Lazarev </em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Gabina Palan </em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Lea Mosburg</em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Maya Webel </em> </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  
</p><p class="p2">
  <em>Year 11</em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Matthieu Balibar </em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Charles Stebelton </em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Emmy Olsten</em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Emmy Dabbraccio </em> </span>
</p><p class="p2">
  
</p><p class="p2">
  <em>Year 10</em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Pierre Debarros </em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Lily Loden</em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">     Y/n looked through the list of students nervously as the four students in the front of the class continued to practice. She hesitantly wrote her name under Lily's, not quite sure if she was ready to compete against all of the students, but regardless placed the sheet of paper on the woman's desk. Ms. Daigrepont walked back and handed her some papers with a calendar and another sheet asking for information. "Just give me your phone number and email and you'll officially be on the team! I'll send you a copy of the schedule to your email just in case." </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">     Y/n wrote down her information on the paper and handed it back to Ms. Daigrepont. The woman smiled at the girl and happily shook Y/n's hand. "It's very lovely to have you here, dear! I can't wait to get to know you, Y/n!" The woman beamed, and Y/n softly smiled at her. "Thank you for having me, Ms. D! Sorry I joined so late in the school year..." The woman shrugged and led Y/n to the four students practicing at the back of the class. "Nonsense! Besides, you can always join early next year! If you talked to Richie then I'm sure you have a basic knowledge of the club, but I'll double check to make sure."</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">     "Every Monday we meet here after school and briefly do acting exercises, but we spend most of the time creating groups or partners for an acting scene. Throughout the week, you communicate with your classmates and practice the scene for Friday. On Friday, we do acting exercises the first ten minutes and then run the scenes along with notes. Scenes can be two to five people, and they must be five minutes or less." Ms. Daigrepont pointed to the two doorways on the left of the room that you can't see from the door.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">     "The makeup room is for, well, makeup. We have our microwave and coffee machine in there too. The room next to it is the library. There we have old scripts of plays that you can look through if you need help finding any scenes. If you ever have extra time after club, you could help out at the small black box theatre down the street! We do our shows there, and we could always use the help building sets or for lights and sound. The good part about it is that you get volunteer hours." Y/n looked inside the library and looked at the three bookshelves in surprise. Each one was filled with scripts from plays, old and new. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">     "The shows are a different thing from club, and not obligated. There's a club exclusive murder mystery the week before Halloween weekend, an all school musical that me and the choir director collaborate on in the last weekend of January, and an all school play the by the end of May. I know the first two already passed, but auditions are in two weeks for the all school play if you're interested! Now let's have you meet some of our members." Ms. Daigrepont led Y/n to the four students on the stage and the girl sheepishly smiled. "Uh— hi. I'm Y/n." </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">     "I'm Janie, nice to meet you!" The French-African girl smiled as she shook hands with Y/n. The lanky, blond boy next to her awkwardly waved. "I'm Matthieu." The blonde girl standing across from them politely smiled and shook hands with Y/n next. "I'm Lily, pleasure to have you here." The French-African boy standing next to Lily beamed and shook Y/n's hand. "I'm David! Glad to have you on the team, Y/n!"</span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">     "Thank you!" Y/n smiled and waved at them. They continued to work on the scene as Y/n and Ms. Daigrepont walked to the front of the class. "Tomorrow you'll get to meet the whole class, and see the acting dynamics and styles everyone has with each other!" The woman beamed, and Y/n gave her a soft smile. "Thank you so much, Ms. D! I really must get going, but I really appreciate all of this." Y/n smiled as she walked over to the door. </span> <span class="s1">"It's no problem, dear! I'll see you tomorrow, then!" The woman waved at the girl and Y/n waved back before walking out the classroom door and making her way to Master Fu's place.</span></p><hr/><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">     "Putty arrows? <em>Putty arrows?!</em> That would've been helpful to know my first time stopping a robber!" Y/n huffed as she flopped onto her bed. Vinca rolled her eyes and ate the stem of green grapes from on the desk. With enough begging, Y/n managed to convince Master Fu to let her take the translated papers home, and her mind was blown away from the types of arrows she didn't even know she could use. "Look at all this! Bola arrow, explosive arrow, suction-cup arrow. Tear gas arrow! Don't know why I'd need that, but I have it!" </span>
</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">     "Yeah, big deal. Are you going on patrol today or not?" Vinca huffed in annoyance as Y/n sat up. "Yeah definitely, I'll just have to come in sooner so I can sleep early tonight." Y/n hid the papers under her matress and double checked to make sure her homework was done. Vinca ate the last grape and flew off the desk with a stretch. "Finally! I feel like it's been forever since we've went out." </span> <span class="s1">Y/n rolled her eyes and put on some sandals in case she had to transform in an alleyway and grabbed a jacket. "Not reall, it has been forever since the last akuma attack. We'll get to that later, though. Vinca, let's fly!"</span></p><hr/><p class="p1">     "I'm beat. Literally nothing happened tonight." Hummingbird let out a small yawn as she started to make her way towards her apartment. She spent two hours on patrol, jumped around all of Paris, and not once have encountered any crime of any sorts happen. She was hoping that maybe she'd pass by Ladybug or Chat Noir, but sadly she spent the night alone shooting off different arrows in random alleyways.</p><p class="p1">     As she was getting closer to the apartment complex, she heard a voice shriek and a tire screech as a figure landed on the roof next to her. "Hummingbird! I need your help! <em>Please!</em> It's an emergency!" Chat Noir grabbed Hummingbird by the hand and led her to the speeding car. "Chat Noir? What happened? What's going on?" The girl asked as she caught sight of the runway vehicle. "A woman stole a man's car and his baby is inside of it." </p><p class="p1">     Hummingbird looked at Chat Noir with shock as the followed the car. Closely behind the stolen vehicle, police cars followed with their siren alarms blaring and lights flickering. "They're trying to corner her." Hummingbird mumbled to herself as other police cars blocked out possible exits. She looked ahead, and the alleyway the car was currently headed lead to a brick wall, with the Siene River a couple of feet from it. </p><p class="p1">     "Okay, I have a plan, but we can't afford to mess up. Do you trust me?" The girl asked the blond boy, and Chat Noir hesitantly nodded. "She's obviously not going to stop. I'm scared she'll run into the brick wall at the end of the alleyway instead stopping. What you're gonna do is get on the other side of the wall and use your Cataclysm on my command. Once the wall is down, I'll use my power and safely take the baby and woman out of the car."</p><p class="p1">     "Are you crazy? The car could go straight into the Siene with the woman and baby inside! What if we get the timing wrong?" Chat Noir shook his head as they continued to make their way towards the end of the alleyway. The car was starting to reach them, and Hummingbird let out a quiet sigh. "Simple, we don't. Go, get into position, I'll let you know when they're near." The girl stood on top of the building and Chat Noir looked at her worriedly. "This better work, <em>colibri.</em>" </p><p class="p1">     Chat Noir jumped down and called his Cataclysm as Hummingbird waited for the headlights to get closer. Her heart was beating in her ears as she took a deep breath. Soon enough, the car was fifteen feet away and showed no sign of slowing down. "Chat Noir, now!" She waited until his hand made contact with the brick wall before Hummingbird jumped down to the ground. "Speeding Hum!" She called out, and watched as the brick wall slowly dusted away with the impact of the car.</p><p class="p1">     Hummingbird ran through the dust and yanked open the car door to pull the woman out of the driver's seat. Thankfully, she had no seatbelt, but the child behind the passenger's seat did. Hummingbird crawled into the backseat and started to undo the seatbelt. <em>Fuck, I only have twenty seconds left. </em>Hummingbird began to panic as she grabbed the child and tried to open the door, which wouldn't budge because of the child lock. "Shit!" <em>Ten seconds... </em>Hummingbird crawled to the passenger seat and threw open the door. Just as time started to go back to speed, Hummingbird jumped out of the car with the one year old child in her arms. </p><p class="p1">     The blond hero panicked as the car zoomed past him and landed straight into the river. Chat Noir looked around for Hummingbird and sighed with relief at the sight of her before restraining the high woman until the police arrived. Hummingbird tried her best to calm the crying baby by rocking it and whispering to it, and Chat Noir couldn't help but smile. He had never seen this side of Hummingbird. She was always stoic, sarcastic, sometimes she let herself be be teasing, but never in the last couple of months has he seen the heroine be so gentle. The red and blue lights started to fill the alleyway and Chat Noir stood up and picked up the high woman. </p><p class="p1">     "I just... wanted to see my baby... one last time..." The woman slurred as she swayed side to side. "What you did was insanely dangerous. You could've killed the poor kid." Hummingbird glared at her as the woman began to sob. Police officers thanked Chat Noir and Hummingbird before leading the high woman to a car. "That was... That was risky." Chat Noir mumbled as he looked at the small child, who was now calm thanks to the rocking. "It was." Hummingbird quietly agreed as she looked for the child's father. </p><p class="p1">     Soon enough, a car pulled up from behind the police cars and a disheveled man pushed past the officers and news broadcasters as he reached the two heroes. "Charlie! Oh, she's okay! My baby is okay!" The man wiped away the tears off his face and smiled as Hummingbird handed the child to the man. "Hummingbird, Chat Noir, <em>Thank you.</em> I owe you my life for saving my daughter. I'm forever in your debt." Hummingbird blushed, not quite sure how to respond, as Chat Noir cockily smiled. "All in a day's work!" </p><p class="p1">     Hummingbird glared at the hero and elbowed him in the arm before facing the disheveled man with a soft smile. "What he means is, you're welcome. We'd be happy to keep you and your daughter together and safe any day." Chat Noir looked at Hummingbird with a small smile as he rubbed the spot on his arm where the heroine hit him. The man thanked them a couple of times again before walking back towards his car, and the news reporters started to shove the cameras and microphones in front of the heroes' faces. <em>Damn,</em> <em>the news is gonna have a field day with this one. </em></p><p class="p1">     "Sorry folks, I'm a little camera shy. Not to mention, the cat and I have a little business to attend to." Hummingbird pointed to their jewelry as the two Miraculous let out a beep. "Til next time, alleycat!" The heroine winked and waved at the crowd before jumping onto the rooftop. Chat Noir watched her figure retreat until it disappeared over the buildings' horizon. He followed her actions and waved at the reporters before making his way home in the opposite direction. "That Hummingbird sure is all over the place..."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>okay quick explanation! so for the arrows, im taking a lot of inspiration from <a href="https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Trick_Arrows">hawkeye's trick arrows</a> hehe but along with normal arrows ive also added "blunt tipped arrows" which are arrows with flat arrowheads made out of rubber since theyre not meant to penetrate the skin. im not trying to have reader kill anyone lol. just wanted to put this out there.</p><p>hope you liked the chapter! sorry it took so long :(. please leave a comment or a kudos if you enjoyed it!! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Horrificator</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"The deadline for the Parisian Student Short Film Festival is tomorrow evening, precisely twenty-six hours, fifteen minutes and fourteen, thirteen seconds from now." Max called out from his seat three rows back. He was looking at his watch and Y/n quietly shook her head. "Not helping Max..." She muttered, and Marinette hummed in thought. "And we still have editing, post-sound, soundtrack..."</p><p>     "And who's gonna take Mylene's part?" Alya pointed out, and Adrien glanced her way. "What about Y/n?"</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     "Agent Smith, it's too dangerous! We must evacuate!" Adrien dramatically yelled as he looked at Mylène. The short girl looked at him with a mix of determination and courage. "You're suggesting we run, Officer Jones? After it devoured my family, my friends, even my beloved dog, Sniffles? Never! I won't run! I no longer fear it, I'm going to face it, then I'll— Waaaaah!" Mylène let out a scream after catching sight of Ivan in the monster costume that Nathaniel and Y/n made. The crew quietly sighed in frustration as Mylène hid underneath the teacher's desk again.</p><p>     "Cut!" Nino yelled as the students prepared for another run. Ivan walked up to Mylène and took off his mask. "Sorry Mylène." He told his girlfriend as she timidly looked out from her spot. "Mylène! That's like, the tenth take, and we're only on the first scene!" Nino yelled as Juleka walked over to Adrien to repowder his face. "Thirteenth actually. But who's counting." Alix called out as she erased the number on the clapperboard, causing Nino to only stress out even more. "Ughhh..."</p><p>     "I'm... sorry. I'm gonna do better on the next take, I promise." Mylène sheepishly muttered. Y/n looked at the two teenagers before skimming over the script and writing down some notes for Mylène. When Nino and Alya asked Y/n to be the acting coach for the project, she was very confused. She'd only been in the drama club for a week, and directors always take notes for the actors so that the scene could go exactly how the director pictured it. Nonetheless, she agreed and spent everyday after school in the drama room to get notes and acting tips for today. </p><p>     "Anyone want some tea?" Rose innocently asked, and Y/n smiled at the blonde as she grabbed a cup and quietly muttered a thank you. "You're playing a hero from the special forces. You're not supposed to get all freaked out!" Nino scolded, and Y/n took that as a sign to stand up and approach the two. "Nino's right, we need to see Agent Smith's motivation. Maybe you're not as immersed into the scene as you should be. What you need to do is understand the thoughts going through your character's head and make a connection. Make Agent Smith's goal clear to yourself first, and then make sure we're getting the message."</p><p>     "I know, but... that monster mask he's wearing is so... realistic and scary!" Mylène defended, timidly standing up, and Ivan walked up to her with a playful smile. "Just big ol' me, Mylène. Nothing to be scared of!" He beamed, poking his fingers through the two eye holes of the mask in order for it to not seem threatening. "You ask me, he doesn't even need a mask!" Chloé laughed, and Sabrina joined her as Y/n shook her head in disgust.</p><p>     "What a bratty snob!" Marinette whispered, and Nino sighed before looking back at Ivan. "Ivan, put the mask back on, you're playing the monster! And Mylène, we need you to stay in character!" The boy ordered and Ivan hesitantly put it back on. Mylène looked away in fear and squeezed her own hand anxiously. "I need to sing my happy song, it always makes me feel better... Smelly wolf, smelly wolf, stinky breath and slimy— Ahh!" Mylène let out another scream as she bumped into Adrien, causing the blond to feel bad and Juleka to stop powdering him.</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     "And the Oscar for best pathetic scaredy-cat afraid of its own shadow goes to... Mylène!" Chloé laughed, standing up from her seat. Adrien placed his hands on Mylène's shoulder comfortingly as he glared at the blonde. "Chloé, seriously?" Chloé made eye contact with Adrien and hesitantly shrugged. "Yeah, so what?" She carelessly added, and Mylène shrugged Adrien's hands off her shoulders and ran out of the room crying. </p>
  <p>     "Dude! what is your problem?" Y/n glared at Chloé, throwing her notes onto the desk as Marinette followed Mylène out the door. "Mylène! Anyone gonna go after her?" Marinette called out, and Ivan threw off his mask and ran after her. "Mylenè, wait!" He called out. Nino and Alya followed Ivan out the classroom and looked over the railing to watch their interaction and see if Mylène would come back or not. Y/n walked up to Chloé with anger. "I've had it up to here with you Chloé! I get that you're—"</p>
  <p>     "Y/n, it's not worth it..." Adrien cut his friend off and placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Y/n shrugged his hand off and calmly looked back at Adrien. "Adrien, listen bud, I get that she's your friend, but she is a gigantic ass. Someone <em>needs</em> to put her in her place." Adrien sighed at Y/n's words and shook his head. "But this isn't the way to go—" Before he could finish, Chloé interrupted him. "And someone <em>needs</em> to teach you manners! It's a surprise Adrien is still friends with you. He couldn't possibly be seen with some <em>thug</em> who spews out a curse word with every sentence. Learn some repsect."</p>
  <p>     Y/n turned around to glare at Chloé and took a step towards her. "Manners? Respect? I have amazing manners, thank you very much. I know how to not be a <em>brat</em> to my peers or think of them as below me. I only give people respect when they earn it, and you, Chloé Bourgeois, do <em>not</em> earn it. You're not even a decent human being, so why do you think I would give an ounce of respect to you—" Y/n was cut off by Adrien, who gently pulled her back by her arm and frowned at her. "Y/n! Stop! You can't—"</p>
  <p>     "No, Adrien, <em>you</em> stop defending her! Chloé is a terrible person, and I understand you have good intentions, but you can't just be compliant of her manipulating and bullying just because she's your friend." Before he could respond Y/n turned away and walked towards Marinette. She sat down in the seat Nino sits in during class and blankly stared at the desk with a glare. The room stayed quiet as they waited for Alya and Nino to return to the classroom with news. Rose walked up to Y/n with a shy smile and handed her a plate. "Cheese and crackers?"</p>
  <p>     Y/n gave a small smile to the short blonde and thanked her as she grabbed the plate. She quietly munched on the crackers as Marinette approached Y/n with the notes that she threw on the table. "I admire you for standing up to Chloé, Y/n, but you need to be more careful. We both now what happens when someone gets in Chloé's way." The bluenette whispered, handing Y/n her papers. The girl swallowed her snack and sighed. "I know, it's just— Chloé is <em>literally</em> the reason why we get so many akuma attacks half the time. Why is he always defending her? I just want him to see that him doing so is not helping her case on 'being a better person'."</p>
  <p>     Marinette nodded in agreement as Y/n finished the plate of cheese and crackers. The room fell into awkwrad silence again as they waited for Nino and Alya to walk back in. A minute later, Nino stormed over to Chloé with a frown as Alya walked over to Marinette and Y/n in frustration. "Epic, Chloé! Just epic! What are we supposed to do now without our leading actress?" Nino yelled at the blonde, making Y/n assume that Mylène ran off. "Who needs her, anyway? She was totally lame!" Chloé responded.</p>
  <p>     "You're lame! Mylène is crying her eyes out on the bathroom thanks to you!" Ivan yelled at the blonde as he walked back into the classroom. Chloé looked at him in disgust. "Me, lame?" Y/n glared at her again and stood up to say something, but was interrupted by Marinette placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, hey! Everyone chill out! There's been enough arguing for the day. You're right, Chloé is lame. But fighting isn't gonna bring Mylène back. I'm the producer, and I'm gonna do everything in my power to finish filming tonight!" </p>
</div><p>     "The deadline for the Parisian Student Short Film Festival is tomorrow evening, precisely twenty-six hours, fifteen minutes and fourteen, thirteen seconds from now." Max called out from his seat three rows back. He was looking at his watch and Y/n quietly shook her head. "Not helping Max..." She muttered, and Marinette hummed in thought. "And we still have editing, post-sound, soundtrack..."</p><p>     "And who's gonna take Mylene's part?" Alya pointed out, and Adrien glanced her way. "What about Y/n?" He said, causing the class to look at the girl in question. "What? I haven't even read the whole script!" Y/n shook her head, but Adrien nodded. "But you're in the drama club, so you'd be the most logical replacement." He pointed out, causing most of the class to agree. "He has a point dude." Nino told her. Y/n wasn't quite sure how to counteract the argument. "I mean I guess..."</p><p>     "What about me?" Chloé asked with a smirk. Y/n rolled her eyes at the blonde's words and shook her head. "If I haven't read the script then I doubt you have." Chloé let out a huff and rolled her eyes. "Of course I have! You're just bad at your job. I've read it! The first scene anyway. I can even tell you that it ends with a kiss between Agent Smith and Officer Jones!" She smirked, and Marinette let out a gasp before freezing in her spot. Y/n looked at her with worry as Alya walked up to the bluenette and poked her cheek.</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     "You wrote that?!" Marinette screamed as she grabbed Alya by the shoulders. The brunette furrowed her brows in thought before looking through her script in confusion. "Hold up! I didn't write that!" She frowned, and Nino sheepishly bowed his head. "Uh... I wrote it. It was just a little tweak. You know, to move the story forward." The brunet smiled, and Alya walked over to him with a glare. "What! You changed my script without even telling me? That's low!"</p>
  <p>     "Wait a minute! You mean our script!" Nino defended, and Adrien let out a quiet sigh as he sat on the teacher's desk. "Juice?" Rose offered, handing the boy a cup, and Adrien smiled at her. "Thanks Rose." He muttered, but before he could take a sip, Chloé walked over to him and grabbed the cup out of his hand. "Oh, who cares who wrote what? We've got to film this thing, right?" She pointed out, sitting next to Adrien and drinking the juice as Max nodded in agreement. "She's right. Principal Damocles is only allowing us to use school until six p.m. sharp. Which leaves us nine hours, twelve minutes and twelve seconds. Eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven, six..."</p>
  <p>     "Max, again, not helping..." Y/n muttered as she raked her fingers through her hair in frustration. She let out a quiet yelp as Marinette grabbed her and Alya and dragged them to the corner of the classroom. "Adrien and Chloé kissing cannot happen! No way!" Marinette shook her head. "It makes no sense story wise anyway. The main character's emotional journey..." Alya agreed, and Y/n let out a remorseful sigh. "Yeah... I feel awful for Mylène. This was supposed to be her role..."</p>
  <p>     Marinette agreed and let go of her friends as she walked back up to the center of the classroom. "Hold on! We can't let Mylène just leave just like that, it's... wrong! We all chose her to play the leading female role! And... we're all in this movie together! She needs our support. I'm gonna go find her and bring her back." The bluenette started to walk out the door and Chloé let out a scoff. "Always trying to save the day, aren't you, Marinette? Good luck finding the filthy hole that scaredy-cat’s hiding in!"</p>
  <p>     "So who's filling in the role? Chloé or Y/n?" Adrien asked, causing Y/n to frown. "But Marinette—" Nino cut her off as he walked to the center of the classroom. "I say we vote, raise your hand if you think Chloé should replace Mylène." Chloé cheekily raised her hand with a smirk. Sabrina and Kim closely followed, but no one else did after that. "Now raise your hand if Y/n should be the replacement." Alya said as she raised her hand. The rest of the students, including Nino and Adrien, raised their hands as Y/n let out a quiet groan. "It's settled. Y/n, you're the new Agent Smith." Nino told her as he handed her script to her, and Y/n begrudgingly skimmed through the script as the class prepared to start shooting again.</p>
  <hr/>
</div><p>     "You're suggesting we run, Officer Jones? After it devoured my family, my friends, even my beloved dog, Sniffles? Never! I won't run! I no longer fear it, I'm going to face it, then I'll finally be able to avenge my family!" Y/n dramatically shook her head and stood up. The class spent the last fifteen minutes re-filming the scene, and thankfully, they managed to do it all in one go. Y/n walked away from the teacher's desk and walked over to the door, Adrien and the cameras closely following her. "I can't afford to lose you, Agent Smith!" Adrien called out, placing his hands on Y/n's shoulders.</p><p>     "I'm not scared of that monster, Officer Jones... In fact, I'm kind of thirsty. Can we take a water break?" Y/n broke out of character and sheepishly smiled as she took Adrien's hands off her.  "Cut! Seriously, Y/n? We're so close to finishing the scene!" Nino groaned, and Juleka re-powdered both the actors as Rose handed Y/n a water bottle. "I know, I know. Sorry. Quick break, and then we'll get back to filming! Promise!" Y/n walked away to drink her water and sighed. Y/n really didn't want to kiss Adrien. Especially after the argument they had earlier. Not to mention, Marinette would be upset. She would understand, but still be upset nonetheless.</p><p>     Y/n set down the empty water bottle and skimmed over her lines again, trying to stall longer. "C'mon, Y/n! We'll start on Adrien's line." Nino called out to her, annoyed, and the girl hesitantly walked back up to Adrien. "Horrificator, take fifteen." Alix said, using the clapperboard in front of the camera and taking her hand out of the frame. "Action!" Nino called out, and Adrien grabbed Y/n's shoulders. "I can't afford to lose you, Agent Smith!"</p><p>     "I'm not scared of that monster, Officer Jones!" Y/n recited as she and Adrien looked into each other's eyes for dramatic effect. Adrien started to lean in, and Y/n hesitantly looked at his lips before pushing him away and shaking her head. "I can't do it!" She yelled, burying her head into her hands as Nino let out a groan. "Cut! <em>Y/n,</em> come on! It's just a kiss!" He scolded as the crew prepared for another run. "Pfft. Pathetic." Chloé muttered as she scrolled through her phone. Alya walked over to Nino with furrowed brows. "If she's uncomfortable don't make her, Nino! Besides, the kiss is totally unnecessary!"</p><p>     Nino and Alya began to argue again as Y/n let out a sigh. Adrien noticed the girl's distress and leaned into Y/n's ear. "I know I smell like cheese from time to time but I promise my breath isn't <em>that</em> bad." He whispered, and Y/n repressed a laugh by shaking her head. "No, it's not that..." She muttered. Adrien looked at her in confusion and stood up straight. "Then what is it?" He asked. <em>Marinette will be sad. I don't want Marinette to be sad. I want her to be happy. She won't be happy if I kiss you, so I don't want to. But she won't be happy if Chloé kisses you, so I can't let her do that either.</em></p><p>     "...I don't know. I just don't wanna kiss my best friend, is all." <em>Not you, at least.</em> Y/n looked at Adrien and shrugged at her lame excuse. She knew why, Adrien probably knew why, but neither one of them were going to say anything. "Well, that's why there's acting, right? Y/n isn't kissing Adrien, Agent Smith is kissing Officer Jones. Like you told Mylène at the beginning of shooting, immersion is key." He pointed out, and Y/n gave him a small nod as they looked back at Alya and Nino, who were still fighting like an old married couple. </p><p>     "There's no point in arguing, Alya! We need to finish if we want to be in the festival! Alright, chop chop people! Ready for round two! Starting from Y/n's line this time." Nino prepared the camera again as Alya walked away with a huff. Y/n and Adrien got back into their positions, Adrien grabbing a hold of Y/n's shoulders, as Alix walked up to the camera with the clapperboard. "Horrificator, take sixteen."</p><p>     "I'm not scared of that monster, Officer Jones!" Y/n yelled again. She and Adrien looked at each other for the dramatic pause, but before they could take action, Marinette slammed the door open. "Cut!!!" She yelled, and Nino let out another frustrated groan. "Marinette, what gives? We're in the middle of a shoot, and I'm the director, FYI. I say cut, no one else. Comprende?" He scolded, but the bluenette huffed and crossed her arms. "And I'm the producer! Mylène's supposed to be the star of this movie." She frowned.</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     "We're out of time, and from what I can see, Mylène is MIA. Let's take it from the top, people." Nino yelled. Adrien let out another sigh as Juleka re-applied powder to the actors' faces. "Here we go again..." The blond mumbled as Alya stomped up to Nino. "This is beat! Agent Smith does not need a man in her life right now! Sniffles just got munched right now, remember!" She argued, and Nino glared back at her. "Do you wanna finish this film or not?" He responded, but Chloé stood up from her desk before Alya could reply. "I have an idea! Make <em>me</em> Agent Smith instead and have her be a nurse! That'll fix everything."</p>
  <p>     "Um, I'm sorry. How, exactly?" Alya asked while rolling her eyes. "I don't know, but I'm sure I'd look amazing in a uniform. At least I don't squirm at a measly kiss." Chloé smirked at Y/n, who glared at her and was being held back by Juleka. "Oh, come on! We're not gonna rewrite this script again!" Nino whined, Alya frowned at him as she waved around her script. "I'm not putting my name on those credits."</p>
  <p>     "Nobody cares about you anyway!" Chloé yelled, and Alya turned to glare at her. "<em>What?</em>" The brunette spat out, and Y/n shrugged Juleka's hand off and walked up to Chloé. "Chloé, has it ever crossed your mind to learn how to <em>shut your trap?</em>" She growled, and Marinette grabbed Y/n's arm and pulled her back. "Everyone calm down! This movie's a team effort! Your nurse idea's perfect, Chloé!" The bluenette gave Chloé a smile, and the blonde smirked to herself. "Of course it's a perfect idea. Because it's mine!"</p>
  <p>     "<em>What?</em>" Y/n looked at Marinette in disbelief, but the bluenette dismissively waved a hand at her as she walked up to Chloé. "But Chloé, you don't have a uniform." Marinette told her, innocently batting her eyelashes. "Right! Which is why that idea wasn't believable in the first place." Alya huffed, and Y/n stood there, frozen with bewilderment. "I think you and your assistant should go down to the nurse's office and try out some uniforms." Marinette told Chloé with a smile.</p>
  <p>     "Hmm. Kim, Max, come with me. You've just been promoted to wardrobe and bodyguard." Chloé started to walk out the door with Kim and Sabrina following. Max let out a quiet sigh as he closed the door behind him. Y/n shook herself out of her state of shock and frowned at Marinette. "I can't believe you want to replace me with that blonde bimbo!" She huffed, quite hurt at the bluenette's intentions, and Nino let out a groan as he looked at the time on his phone. "Now we're just wasting time, Miss Producer!"</p>
  <p>     "Yeah, but now we've just gotten rid of Chloé! I never planned on replacing you, Y/n." Marinette softly smiled as she grabbed Y/n's hand and squeezed it. The girl became a flustered mess as Nino impatiently tapped his foot. "And now what?" Marinette turned to face him and frowned. "We go find Mylène! She's here somewhere!" Nino shook his head as he waved his phone in front of Marinette's face. "I told you. Tick tock, there's no time! Besides, we have Y/n!" Y/n bit her lip as she watched the two argue. She hummed in thought, and then beamed when an idea reached her head. "Marinette can do it!"</p>
  <p>     "What?! No! I can't act. I'm... the producer." Marinette frowned as Y/n pulled her closer to Nino. Alya nodded, understanding what Y/n was trying to do. "Y/n has a point! If she isn't comfortable with the kiss, then Marinette can fill in!" Marinette opened her mouth to disagree, but Alya huddled her into the corner with Y/n and smiled. "You wanna kiss Adrien, don't you?" The brunette whispered, Y/n giving Marinette a supportive nod, but the bluenette sighed. "Yes, but not like this." She mumbled as she glanced at Adrien. Marinette left the small group huddle and walked back to the door. "I'm going back out to look for Mylène." She called out, and Y/n frowned.</p>
  <p>     "But wait— Marinette!" Y/n followed the girl out the door, but Nino pulled her back into the classroom with a glare. "If we were to replace you with Marinette, we'd have to refilm the scene and there's no time! Enough fooling around. Y/n, you're up." The class prepared to shoot another scene, and Y/n looked at Adrien with a sigh. "God damn it." She muttered under breath as she walked to her spot. Adrien handed her the fake gun and smiled. "Don't worry, you'll do fine. Remember, it's just acting." Y/n's brows furrowed at his words. Her eyes widened in realization as she had a flashback to earlier that week.</p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <hr/>
  <p>     <em>"Woah! How do they do that so... effortlessly? If I had to kiss someone like that, I'd be awkward as hell." Y/n muttered as she looked at the two twelve year students on stage. It was Tuesday afternoon, and Y/n was watching the three groups going up that day. As the other groups went to practice, Y/n and Richie agreed on rehearsing their scene last so that the girl could write down any notes for the film Nino and Alya were going to make that weekend.</em></p>
  <p>
    <em>     Currently, Gabina and Bastien were practicing their scene. Gabina was a lanky, curly-haired brunette, and Bastien was a tall blond. The two reached a point in their scene where their characters were having a heated kiss after an argument. Granted, Gabina and Bastien were dating, so it's not a surprise that they were comfortable with kissing. What did surprise Y/n was the fact that they were making out in front of her, Richie, three other students, and Ms. D. Richie let out a small laugh and Y/n took a break from writing to look at him. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>     "They're not actually kissing, y'know." Richie smiled, and Y/n looked at him in confusion before looking back at Gabina and Bastien. "What? Yeah they are..." The latino boy shook his head and pointed at their classmates. Y/n followed his line of vision and looked closely between them. "No, it's called stage kissing. You put your hands up to the person's face and cover their lips with your thumb. Then you tilt your head towards the audience to hide the thumb, and that's what makes it look so realistic. So when the audience sees you kissing, it's really just you two kissing your thumb and you hiding it with your head. It's just acting, really."</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>     Y/n looked between the two teenagers in search of the thumb. Sure enough, when Gabina pulled away from the kiss, her upstage hand quickly moved her thumb off Bastien's lips. "Oh, I guess that makes sense... Do people do this for every kiss in shows?" Y/n asked, and the two students continued with their scene. Richie shook his head and watched his peers as he leaned against the table. "No, mostly in these practice scenes and in rehearsals before the real deal. In actual shows people actually kiss." Y/n nodded, taking notes of his words for herself, as Gabina and Bastien said their final lines. "Huh... Interesting." She muttered quietly.</em>
  </p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     "You're right, Adrien! It <em>is</em> just acting! Why didn't I think of it before!" Y/n beamed, mentally patting herself on the back for remembering the junior's words. Adrien looked at her in confusion, not understanding why her attitude changed so quickly. "Glad I could help?" He said with a smile, although it sounded more like a question. "Ready to roll? From Adrien's line! Camera!" Nino walked up to his two friends and Alix walked over with her clapperboard. "Horrificator, take seventeen..." She said, and quickly moved out of the frame. "Action!" Nino yelled.</p>
  <p>     "I can't afford to lose you, Agent Smith!" Adrien yelled with a frown as he grabbed Y/n's shoulders. "I'm not scared of that monster, Officer Jones!" Y/n told him as she psyched herself up inside her mind. <em>Here goes nothing.</em> Adrien and Y/n did the dramatic pause, and everyone stood on edge as Adrien began to lean in. Y/n caught him by surprise when she tenderly grabbed his face. Y/n pulled his face toward hers, making sure to place her thumb between their lips and tilt her head in the direction of the camera. </p>
  <p>     Adrien was confused at first, but thankfully, continued to roll with it as they waited for a couple seconds until the next line. "Cut!!! I knew it!" Chloé screeched as she slammed the classroom door open. "What did I say about other people saying cut?! And that was such a good shot too!" Nino groaned as Adrien and Y/n let go of each other. Y/n glanced at Marinette, who was standing outside the class with a frown. Y/n felt immediate remorse, knowing Marinette was most likely very upset, so Y/n tried to make her way towards her. "Marinette, I—"</p>
  <p>     "Well played, Y/n! All that speech Marinette made up about working together, then you stab me right in the back! Well, your stupid little movie won't make it into the festival if I'm not in it, because my daddy is one of the judges!!" Chloé stood in front of Y/n with her arms crossed. Y/n rolled her eyes, but was interrupted by a couple of screams echoing through the school. "Did you guys hear that?" Adrien asked as he looked out the class window.</p>
  <p>     "If this is another one of your silly ploys to get me out of the way, you can forget it! Besides, I—" Chloé was cut off by another scream as Y/n walked outside the door with Marinette, and the class followed her. "I definitely heard that. We better scope this out!" The bluenette led the students down the stairs, and Rose waved a couple of baggies around the crowd. "A fruity snack for the road?" Y/n smiled at her and took one as they reached the floor. The students looked around the area as Nino filmed.</p>
</div><p>     "Hey! Anybody here? Kim! Max! Where are you guys!" Adrien called out as they reached the steps leading towards the nurse's office. "I saw the same pink goo... The bathroom!" Marinette gasped as she poked the pink slime. Adrien walked up to her and pointed at the armband buried underneath it. "That's Kim's!" The blond pointed out. "They vanished!" Nathaniel cried, and Y/n comfortingly patted his back as Alya playfully rolled her eyes. "Or they're playing a sick joke on us."</p><p>     "We should go to Principal Damocles' office and tell him what's going on. Nino, come on! Stop filming!" Y/n rolled her eyes at the brunet, and Nino shook his head with a beam. "Not a chance! This is just getting good! Yo, Adrien! Where are you going?" As the rest of the class walked towards the stairs leading to Mr. Damocles' office, Nino and Y/n watched Adrien try to head back to the classroom. "I left Officer Jones' jacket back there! Should probably wear it in all the scenes." The blond ran off, and Y/n grabbed Nino's arm and ran with him to catch up with the rest of the class.</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     "Mr. Damocles? Sir?" Alya called out before opening the door. The students gasped when they realized the room was empty. "Even Principal Damocles is nowhere to be found!" Rose cried. "This is bad." Y/n muttered to herself as she raked her fingers through her hair. Vinca was still in her backpack in the classroom, probably napping. "Anyone seen Marinette?" Nino asked, causing the students to run out of room to find her. "Oh no, this is Marinette's phone!" Alya frowned as she picked up Marinette's phone a couple feet away from the door, and Y/n looked up to see that the school was covered with a pink slime. </p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     "Anyone else see that goo? We should probably check the windows." Y/n pointed out, and the class ran back inside the Principal's office. "Crazy..." Juleka whispered to herself, and Chloé ran past her to try and open the window. "We're trapped! I'm going to call Daddy!" The blonde cried, and she pulled out her phone to call her dad. "Dudes, you know cellphones never work in horror movies." Nino smirked, and Ivan frowned as he pulled out his phone. "No bars..." </p>
  <p>     "No coverage!" Nathaniel cried, causing Nino to beam next to him. "Told you so! Boo-yah!" Nino pumped a fist into the air, and Y/n rolled her eyes. "Dude, not the time." She muttered to him while elbowing his arm. Nino frowned and rubbed the spot on his arm as a figure walked up to the door. "Is everything okay?" Ladybug asked, and the class started to beam. "Ladybug in my movie? This is legit!" Nino yelled excitedly as he aimed his phone at her, but Alya stood in front of him with her phone. "And on my Ladyblog!"</p>
  <p>     "What's the plan, Ladybug?" Y/n asked her as the heroine stepped into the room. "We've got to calmly evacuate the building, okay everyone?" Ladybug told them, but a figure in the front door hummed in disagreement. "Uh-uh, easier said than done, Ladybug!" Chat Noir told her, and Nino started to shake with excitement. "Double legit! All that's missing is Hummingbird!" He cheered, and Y/n let out a nervous laugh. "I doubt she's gonna show." She told him as she patted Nino's shoulder in hopes of calming him down.</p>
  <p>     "I tried to cut through the goo, but it's no good. Totally indestructible. So, looks like we're trapped inside the school for now. Just stay put and try to relax, guys." Chat Noir explained, looking around the room and making eye contact with Y/n. She could feel annoyance rise up in her as Chat Noir shot her a wink. She rolled her eyes, and the blond hero smiled before turning to Ladybug. "Shall we take a stroll, my lady?" He said, wrapping an arm around the heroine's shoulder, and Y/n watched them walk to the back of the room as Nino and Alya faced her with grins. "Dude, did Chat Noir just wink at you?!" Nino asked.</p>
  <p>     "Uh—" Y/n was cut off by Alya letting out a squeal. "No way! Girl, you and Chat obviously have some sort of chemistry and totally I'm here for it! Are you his girlfriend? Do you know who he his without the mask?" Alya asked, shoving the camera at Y/n's face. The girl stood there frozen before rapidly shaking her head. "What? Alya— No. Chat Noir and I have literally nothing going on. The dude is just a big flirt, you know that."</p>
  <p>     "Mhmmmmm. Whatever you say!" Alya smirked, and Y/n rolled her eyes as she watched Nino walk up to the two heroes. "Don't mind me, finding the missing peeps and solving this crazy mystery with Chat Noir and Ladybug... This movie's gonna be so swank!" He beamed, causing Ladybug to give him a small smile. "Stay together, right behind us! Means you too, Spielberg!" Ladybug started to walk out the door, and grabbed Nino, who was staring at Chat Noir with awe. As the students started to follow Ladybug, Chat Noir walked up to Y/n and wrapped an arm around her.</p>
  <p>     "So, Y/n, did you miss me? It's been a while since our last encounter." He smirked, and Y/n could feel her cheeks heat up with embarrassment as the students glanced her way. "Now is not the time, Chat Noir." She hissed at him, taking his arm off her and rolling her eyes. "Aww, don't be like that. Are you embarrassed of our friendship? Because if that's the case, I'd like to admit that I'm hurt." The blond hero pouted, and Y/n let out a sigh. Thankfully, Ladybug heard her distress and turned around with a frown.</p>
  <p>     "Cat! Get over here! Stop tormenting the poor girl." The heroine scolded, and Chat Noir pouted before turning to Y/n with a smirk. "Welp, sorry, Y/n. Looks like we'll have a raincheck on this convo. Gotta go help Ladybug save the school. Y'know, the usual." He shot her one last wink before joining Ladybug at the front of the crowd. Alya walked up to Y/n with a mischievous grin. "Are you sure you and Chat Noir have nothing going on? Because that didn't look like nothing to me." Y/n let out a quiet sigh before shaking her head. "Positive."</p>
  <p>     The group reached the classroom to see if Max and Kim ran back, but Ladybug gasped as she saw Adrien's shoe. "There!" She alerted, and Y/n watched Chat Noir fidget nervously. "Anyone recognize this shoe?" He asked, and Nino nodded. "That's Adrien's shoe!" He cried out, and Y/n pat his shoulder comfortingly. "The akuma monster must've gotten to him." She told Ladybug, but the bluenette looked at it in confusion. "That's weird! There's no pink slime here."</p>
  <p>     "Well, if that's the case, there wasn't any pink slime near Marinette's phone." Y/n responded, and Ladybug looked at her with wide eyes before nervously laughing. "Ah— Well, I guess it doesn't always need to leave goo behind." Y/n nodded, satisfied with the misdirection, and watched Nathaniel kneel next to the teacher's desk. "Hey look! There's some over here." He pointed out, and suddenly, the pink monster jumped out from the desk and wrapped her tail around Nathaniel's waist. "Nathaniel!" Y/n screamed, worried for her friend, Everyone, except for Juleka, started to scream in terror as Ladybug tried to grab Nathaniel back.</p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     "Everybody run!" Ladybug yelled to the teenagers, and Y/n pushed everyone out the door before running to the front of the group. "This way! Hurry!" Y/n led the students down the stairs and had them hide behind the wall near the exit. She looked at the door and frowned when she couldn't see any light through the cracks. "How are you so calm, Y/n?" Ivan asked her, and the girl started to ram her body into the door in hopes of having enough force to open it. <em>There has to be a weak point somewhere. Damn, if only Hummingbird were here. She could've shot an explosive arrow or something.</em></p>
  <p>     "I swear, you're like a robot or something." Alix agreed, and Y/n laughed before trying to open the door again. "Ladybug and Chat Noir got this, just as long as we stay out of the way. If you ask me, it's just a normal Friday." Y/n huffed, and she could hear the dry goo make a small cracking noise on the other side. <em>Just a little more.</em> Before she could continue, Alya pulled Y/n behind the wall as the monster jumped out of the classroom and into the courtyard. "Heeelp! Help!" Nathaniel screamed, and the monster turned to look at the group of students. Everyone hid behind Ivan and Y/n, which only caused the monster to grow.</p>
  <p>     "Fear! It's fear that gives it its strength!" Ladybug exclaimed, and Y/n watched the two heroes go into action. The monster spat goo at them, but they avoided it. Ladybug used her yo-yo to block it and slid underneath the monster to tie her foot up. Chat Noir tried to attack her with his staff, but the monster spat goo and got him stuck to the second floor railing. Ladybug looked at her partner with concern, giving the monster enough time to grab Ladybug's yo-yo and spin her around. The heroine got stuck on the basketball hoop, and the monster trapped her in goo. Y/n held the girls back as the monster started heading their way. Y/n tried to calm them down, but they screamed, making the monster grow. </p>
  <p>     The monster stopped at Ivan and looked at him closely in the face. She recognized him, and licked his face before reaching out to grab Y/n. Before the tail could wrap around her, Alix pushed her out of the way and got caught instead. "Alix!" Y/n yelled, trying to grab the girl's hand and pull her back, but the monster shook Y/n off and ran away. "Oh no! It's taking Nath and Alix!" Rose cried out, and Juleka and Alya helped Y/n get to her feet. "The more scared people are of it, the more powerful it gets! By defeating fear, we defeat it!" Ladybug yelled to Chat Noir.</p>
  <p>     "Okay, but first we gotta get out of this sticky situation quickly before it dries." Chat Noir aimed his staff at Ladybug. He extended it, and the heroine ducked her head before it could hit her. She frowned at Chat Noir, but the impact caused the goo to crack and drop Ladybug to the floor with a yelp. The bluenette wrapped her yo-yo on the hero's staff, and used the momentum to break the goo and free him. The two heroes began talking to each other, and Y/n led her classmates towards them. "I think the monster, is Mylène." Y/n heard Ladybug tell Chat Noir.</p>
  <p>     "Where are Sabrina and Chloé?" Alya asked as the small group reached the heroes. "We'll find them, don't worry. If we can find a way out of here..." Ladybug assured, but was cut off by a scream erupting from a classroom. The students ran towards the direction of the scream, and Chat Noir slammed open the door with a huff as everyone looked around the empty room. "We're too late!" He frowned, but Ladybug crouched down next to the pink footprints on the floor. "But look! We can track the monster." The group followed the goo out to the courtyard and to the door that lead to the basement. </p>
  <p>     When they reached the door, Nino began to jump with excitement. "I'm so amped!" He yelled, causing the two heroes looked at him with slight annoyance. "Turn your amp down to about four, will ya?" Chat Noir told him, and Nino sheepishly smiled back. "My bad..." He apologized, and Chat Noir swung open the door. The students started to make their way in, but Y/n hesitantly stood back. "Why, exactly, are we following Ladybug and Chat Noir down the cellar? Wouldn't it be smarter to stay away and let the heroes do their job without us waving our phones in front of their faces?"</p>
</div><p>     "Nope!" Alya and Nino beamed, and they both dragged Y/n into the hall with one hand and held their phones in the other. Ladybug looked at the girl being dragged and gave her a small smile. "I appreciate the concern, Y/n, but we're quite used to the cameras at this point. Don't worry, you'll all be fine. We'll keep you safe." She reassured as Chat Noir turned around and winked at her. "Besides, you know I enjoy your company." He told her, and Alya and Nino looked at Y/n with a smirk. The girl rolled her eyes as the group started to run the to door at the end of the stairs. </p><p>     "Anybody in here?" Ladybug asked as they all looked at the dried goo. "Ladybug, it's me, Chloé Bourgeois!" The blonde yelled from inside a goo pod. "Don't worry! We'll get you out of there!" Ladybug reassured as she and Chat Noir walked around the room. "Well, hurry it up already!" Chloé impatiently screamed, and Y/n couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Is everyone here? Mr. Damocles? Sabrina? Kim? Max? Alix? Nathaniel? Adrien! Adrien?!" Ladybug started to panic as she called out for the blond, and Y/n watched Chat Noir discreetly hide behind a pod. "...Yeah yeah, I'm fine! What about Marinette?"</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     The bluenette sighed with relief and threw up a thumbs up. "...Yeah, we've got everyone! Ugh, they won't budge!" Ladybug huffed as she tried to break apart the goo. The trapped students started to cry for help, only causing the heroine to stress out even more. "Just try and calm down, we'll find a way to get you out of there!" Ladybug yelled, but she got distracted as the monster spat goo at the door, causing the exit to be closed off. Y/n pushed everyone back and had them duck as the monster dropped down from the second floor and stuck her tongue out at Ladybug. "Okay, now this is getting scary." The bluenette whispered, but Chat Noir threw a goo cocoon at the monster so that it would chase him around instead.</p>
  <p>     "Lucky Charm! Guitar strings? Are you kidding me? Guitar, music... Mylène's song!" Ladybug used her power and looked around the room for items she could utilize. Ladybug used her yo-yo to lasso a cart as she walked over to the group of teens and started to make a guitar with a broom and pot. Y/n tried to pay attention to Chat Noir, who was still being chased by the monster. "That's it. Enough's enough. Cataclysm!" Y/n watched as the hero jumped onto the second floor and dragged his hand across various poles connected to the ceiling. <em>All of those count as single use? Wouldn't it destroy the whole pole, not just the part that was connected to the ceiling? ...Y'know what, I'm not even gonna question it at this point.</em></p>
  <p>     Chat Noir rushed back over to the group as the poles trapped the monster, and Ladybug handed out the various items. Rose got two trashcan lids, Alya and Nino got traffic cones, Ivan got a dustpan and brush, Juleka got a box filled with paperclips, and Y/n got an empty water jug. "Okay, we're all going to sing." Ladybug told the teens, and Chat Noir looked at her curiously. "Sing? So that's your plan." He smirked, and Ladybug nodded. "The only way to get through this to get your fear under control. You all know Smelly Wolf, don't you?"</p>
  <p>     "Seriously? Smelly Wolf." Chat Noir laughed, but Ladybug looked at him with a smirk. "Care to join us?" She asked, and Chat Noir started to make a drumset with the extra trashcan lids and water jug. He tested the drums out with his staff broken in two, and Ladybug looked at the teens with a smile. "Smelly wolf, smelly wolf trapped in the stinky hut..." She started, and the teens looked at each other before playing their instruments. "Smelly wolf, smelly wolf, im gonna kick your..." They all sang. Y/n looked at them in confusion, not sure why they didn't finish the sentence. "Butt!" She finished, causing her classmates to look at her with a smile. She sheepishly shrugged and continued to blow into the water jug.</p>
  <p>     "Smelly wolf, smelly wolf, stinky breath and slimy drool, smelly wolf smelly wolf you are just silly!" The crowd finished the song, and Chat Noir looked at the shrinking monster with a beam. "Wow, it's working!" The students stopped playing as the small monster timidly looked at the students. She ran into the arms of Ivan and buried herself into his chest. "That's the same button I gave to Mylène!" Ivan told the heroes, and Ladybug started to beam. "That's where the akuma is!" She grabbed the pin and crushed it in her hand.</p>
  <p>     The students watched as the black akuma started to fly into the air. "No more evil-doing for you, little akuma. Time to de-evilize!" Y/n watched Ladybug spin her yo-yo and catch the black butterfly with a smile. "Gotcha! Bye bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug set free the white butterfly and threw the Lucky Charm into the air, causing a swarm of ladybugs to turn everything back to normal. Ivan set the monster down as it turned back into Mylène. "Pound it!" Ladybug and Chat Noir fist bumped, and Nino walked up to them with his phone in hand. "Awesome." Y/n rolled her eyes, and the class let out a quiet aww as Mylène and Ivan shared a kiss. </p>
  <p>     Ladybug's Miraculous began to beep, and she waved to the class. "We'd better get going, stay safe everyone. Bug out!" The heroine ran out the door with Chat Noir following closely behind. Before he left the room, Chat Noir turned around and faced Y/n with a smirk. "Til next time, <em>chaton!</em>" He called out to her, throwing her one last wink before running through the door. The class immediately turned their heads to the girl, who's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Uhm, we better go meet up in the classroom and talk about what we'll do with this new... footage." Y/n told them before running out the door with a huff. </p>
  <p>     "Y/n... what was <em>that?</em>" Nino asked as he and Alya followed her up the stairs. "I dont know? That could've been directed to anybody." Y/n dismissed, inwardly cursing the blond hero out. Alya giggled and shook her head. "Nuh-uh! He was looking right at you! Is my best friend dating a superhero? Oooooh, you totally are! Come on, I won't tell—" Y/n cut the brunette off by sighing and slamming open the door. "First of all, I am <em>not.</em> Secondly, Alya, you <em>literally</em> have a blog that nitpicks every aspect of the two heroes to find out who they really are, you <em>totally</em> would. Chat Noir and I are <em>nothing. </em>He's a superhero, he has better things to do than crush over some random teenager. Besides, he's head over heels for Ladybug! You guys hear how he talks about her!"</p>
  <p>     "But the nickname, the winks... It has to mean <em>something.</em> He wouldn't just do that to <em>anyone.</em>" Nino frowned, and Alya nodded in agreement as the three started walking up the stairs towards the classroom. "Yeah!" Y/n let out another sigh as she opened the door, more softly this time. "The dude saved me during the whole Airhead akuma a month back, remember? He's just being his version of friendly." Y/n propped open the door with a trash can and watched as her classmates started to walk up the stairs. Nino frowned next to her, still suspicious of the situation. "But—" Nino began to protest, but Y/n cut him off by throwing her old script at him. "Nope. End of discussion. Enough with the hero talk, let's wait for everyone to get here and talk about the new movie for the Short Film Festival."</p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     Y/n let out a quiet sigh as she set down her pencil and rubbed her tired eyes. Both George and Skylar were still at work, and Y/n had yet to finish her homework. There were only a few questions left, but her mind kept wandering to different thoughts in her head. Y/n grabbed a handful of Cheez-Itz from the newly opened box, and Vinca looked at the girl from the grape-filled bowl she was sitting in. "You should've transformed today, Y/n. They could've used your help."</p>
  <p>     The girl softly shook her head, that being the last thing she wanted to hear, as she took a small sip of her coffee. Drinking coffee at eleven at night wasn't exactly the healthiest thing to do, considering she had to meet Nino at City Hall at noon, have lunch with her classmates soon after, and meet with Master Fu at three, but at this point she was willing to make the small sacrifice. "No... I'm not apart of their team, Vinca. It's Ladybug and Chat Noir, not Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Hummingbird."</p>
  <p>     Vinca frowned at the girl's words as Y/n picked up her pen and continued to work on the Geography assignment. "Are you okay? You seem kind of down..." Vinca asked the girl, and Y/n looked at the kwami with mild surprise. "Am I hearing right? You're asking me if I'm okay? Who are you and what have you done with the real Vinca?" Y/n half-joked. Vinca was a very confusing kwami to read. Half the time, she was stern and scolding, other times she was stoic and apathetic. Very rarely was she attentive or sympathetic, so the moments where Vinca becomes affectionate always surprise Y/n a little.</p>
  <p>     "I'm being serious, Y/n." The teal kwami frowned. Y/n set down her pencil and quietly looked at her mug as she tried to collect her thoughts. "It's just... I feel <em>bad</em> for being mad at Adrien, but he's being so... frustrating. How can he be so <em>nice?</em> Chloé has <em>literally</em> turned half our class into akuma victims, and he still defends her like she's some sort of angel. I'm just sick of all the tormenting she does to everyone. Not to mention the 'savage' and 'thug' remarks she keeps telling him about me. It's annoying, to say the least."</p>
  <p>     Vinca frowned at the girl's words as Y/n grabbed another handful of Cheez-Itz with furrowed brows. "Well, you and I both know you are far from a savage. You might have a bit of a temper, but you're a kind and genuine person, Y/n. Maybe Adrien has a soft spot for Chloé because he knows something you don't. It might not be an excuse for how she acts, but it probably makes him pity her, in a way." Y/n's face softened at Vinca's words as she processed what the kwami was saying. "I guess you're right... Also, <em>so</em> uncool of Adrien to act like that in front of all those people. Especially considering I was still mad at him."</p>
  <p>     "What'd he do?" Vinca asked, and Y/n looked at her in confusion before realizing Vinca was still in the classroom during the whole attack. "When he was Chat Noir, he wouldn't stop winking and fooling around with me. Alya and Nino think I'm secretly dating him now or something. He's lucky that akumatized Mylène wasn't around, or else Hawk Moth would've found out that Chat and I are friends. That could've seriously put me in danger, even worse then that Airhead akuma. Adrien just doesn't think sometimes as Chat. It's one thing letting him visit my room, it's another thing to shamelessly flirt in front of other students while there's an akuma on the loose."</p>
  <p>     Vinca frowned as she swallowed her grape. "If I were you, I would've smacked him on the head, make him think straight. In fact, I'll do that to Plagg next time I see him for giving Adrien that smug confidence in the first place." Y/n smiled as Vinca crossed her arms in anger. She glanced back at her homework and sunk into her chair as she let out a sigh. "Yeah..." Vinca frowned, seeing Y/n in distress again, and she looked down at her grapes before eating one. "Do you want to go on patrol? Some fresh air might make you feel better."</p>
  <p>     "Yeah... Maybe. Just remind me to finish this tomorrow. After we meet with Master Fu." Y/n closed her binder and chugged the last bit of coffee as Vinca popped another grape into her mouth. "Oh yeah. I forgot about that." The kwami muttered, and Y/n softly rolled her eyes as she put away her pencil in the desk organizer. "Thanks for cheering me up, Vinca." Y/n smiled at her kwami, who beamed in return. "That's what I'm here for. Now, c'mon! Let's go kick some bad guy butt!" Y/n laughed at her kwami's excitement as she sheepishly smiled and grabbed the Cheez-Itz box. "Mmmm, I have something else in mind..."</p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     Hummingbird let out a comfortable sigh as she leaned against the building wall behind her. She was on an empty ledge, high up enough to see the Eiffel Tower in the horizon, but low enough to see the people walk around the streets. She looked up at the barely visible stars as the city bustled below her. The cars sped past, people chattered in the nearby restaurant, others walked in and out of shops, and she was eating Cheez-Itz as life continued to moved around her. Sometimes, when things were too busy in her mind, Hummingbird would go to a random spot in Paris and watch the civilians around her. It was easy to forget how big the world was, so seeing other people go about their day gave her time to empty out her head.</p>
  <p>     "Penny for your thoughts?" A voice asked behind her, and Hummingbird let out a small yelp as she turned to face the figure, causing her to choke on a Cheez-It. "Chat Noir? What're you doing here?" She asked through small coughs, and the blond hero pat her back until her breathing went back to normal. "Same as you, I think. I'm assuming you're out on patrol, right?" Chat Noir smirked, and Hummingbird nodded and looked back out at the city. "Yeah, yup, I am." She blandly responded, hoping he would get the memo to leave. Sadly, he sat down next to her and looked out at the city as the heroes fell into an awkward silence.</p>
  <p>     "Uhm... Want some Cheez-Itz?" Hummingbird quietly asked, tilting the box in his direction, and Chat Noir gave her a cheeky smile. "I'd like to think of myself as a Goldfish type of guy, but sure." He joked as he grabbed a handful. They fell into another moment of silence, and Hummingbird tried to ignore the constant glances Chat Noir was sending her way. "I was on patrol and, I, uhm— ...I stopped by to see if you were okay. You seem kind of... sad." He mumbled, and Hummingbird gave him a small smile. "No, I'm fine. I'm just very... stressed, to say the least."</p>
  <p>     "About what?" The blond asked, and Hummingbird bit her lip as her thoughts stirred at his question. <em>Marinette, you, my geography project due next week, my algebra test on Monday, not hearing back from my parents ever since I moved, finding out how to be strong enough for Master Fu...</em> "Uh, nothing I can't handle. Thanks for the concern though." The girl ate some more of the cheese crackers as Chat Noir frowned. "Why don't you work with me and Ladybug? Maybe we could help you with your problems. Not to mention, we could use your help a lot of the times..."</p>
  <p>     Hummingbird softly shook her head at the blond's words as she looked out onto the street. "Sorry... Don't take it personally, we just can't risk having all three Miraculous in the same place at once. If there's anything I can do to prevent Hawk Moth from having all three, I'll do it. Even if it means doing missions on my own. Besides, 'Ladybug, Hummingbird, and Chat Noir' doesn't really slide off the tongue." The girl joked, and Chat Noir looked at her with a smirk. "I was thinking more 'the Catty Crew'."</p>
  <p>     Hummingbird looked at him skeptically before rolling her eyes. "And that's why Ladybug is the leader when it comes to you two." She started to eat more Cheez-Itz as Chat Noir looked at her with a jokingly offended frown. "What? No she isn't!" He defended, and Hummingbird let out a laugh. "She most certainly is! Explain to me why there's a Ladyblog and not a Blog Noir? Huh? I'll wait!" She smirked, knowing she had a point, and Chat Noir pouted as he sunk into the floor. "Hmph, I <em>guess</em> you have a point..."</p>
  <p>     "Exactly!" Hummingbird smirked, and the two heroes fell into a comfortable silence as they shared the Cheez-Itz. After a while, the girl held back a yawn as she rubbed her eyes. "I better get going." She muttered, standing up and grabbing the half empty box. Chat Noir smiled at her and waved. "It was nice spending the night with you, sparrow." He joked, and Hummingbird rolled her eyes at the new nickname. "Likewise. See you later, calico." She waved before jumping off the building and going home.</p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     "Nino! How'd it go? Did we qualify?" Y/n asked excitedly as she saw the brunet boy walk out the front doors. When Y/n first arrived City Hall, Nino already went into the line an hour before, and her, Alya, Marinette, Adrien, and Mr. Damocles waited for the boy patiently ever since. Y/n felt nerves rise up in her as the boy approached the group with a frown. "We didn't make the cut! He said the monster was a horrible replica! Completely unbelievable! No joke!" Nino ranted, and Y/n comfortingly patted his back as Adrien wrapped an arm around his shoulder. </p>
  <p>     "Don't worry, bud. This is how all good movie directors start out." The blond reassured, and Y/n nodded in agreement. "You tried your best, that's all that counts." She told him. Alya sighed and pulled out her phone as Mr. Damocles looked at his watch. "Maybe next year, kids. I'll be on my way, good effort!" He walked away and waved as the group said their goodbyes. "We better head over to the restaurant and break the news." Alya told her friends, and Nino sadly nodded. "They're all gonna be so disappointed..."</p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     "Yeah, but at least having lunch together will lessen the blow." Y/n smiled, but Adrien gasped and smacked his forehead. "Crap!" He huffed, and the other four looked at him in confusion. "What's wrong, dude?" Nino asked as Adrien pulled out his phone with a frown. "I forgot to ask for permission to go to the restaurant!" The blond mumbled, and Nino began to sulk. "First we don't get the chance to be in the festival, now you won't be able join our moping session? Total bummer." He frowned, and Adrien shot him an apologetic look.</p>
  <p>     "Why don't you ask now?" Alya asked, and Adrien bit his lip as he glanced back down at his phone. "I doubt I'd be able to go..." He whispered, but Y/n shrugged and smiled at him. "Well, it doesn't hurt to try. Right Marinette?" Everyone turned their heads toward the bluenette, who got out of her spaced out trance at the sound of her name. "Oh, uh— y-yeah! It's not too mate! Gah! I mean, late!" Marinette nervously smiled, and Adrien furrowed his brows as he hesitantly looked back at his phone. "Uh... I'll see what I can do." He mumbled before walking away from the group. Alya and Nino started to chat as Y/n buried herself into her phone. She pulled up Nathalie's contact and hesitantly began to text her.</p>
  <p>
    <em>I really hate to bother you, Ms. Sancoeur, but can you please let Adrien have lunch with us? Please? We just got disappointing news and would like to spend the evening with Adrien. Just tell Mr. Agreste he ran off and I found him at the restaurant. This won't become a habit! I swear! </em>
  </p>
  <p>     Y/n pressed send and looked up and Marinette, who was staring at Adrien dreamily. Y/n bit her lip as she thought back to the kissing scene yesterday, and how she didn't get to tell Marinette that it was fake. "Hey, double checking here. You do know I didn't actually kiss him, right? You seemed kind of sad after we shot the scene, and I didn't get the chance to talk to you." Y/n whispered to Marinette. The bluenette looked at Y/n in confusion before giving her a smile.</p>
  <p>     "Y/n, you're fine! I could see the thumb on my side of the glass. I didn't comprehend it at first, but no worries! I wasn't mad or anything. Besides, that just means you're a good actress. You should've seen the class' faces. They totally believed it!" Marinette beamed, and Y/n felt herself blush at the compliment. "Heh... Thanks." She mumbled, and Marinette gave her a quick hug. Y/n smiled at the bluenette but felt her nerves begin to build up as her phone let out a ding. </p>
  <p>     <em>Nathalie S: Mr. Agreste has been informed that Adrien ran off with his friend Nino to a restaurant and you are currently on your way to find him.</em></p>
  <p>
    <em>Thank you so much Ms. Sancoeur! I'll find Adrien sometime between now and two.</em>
  </p>
  <p>    Y/n inwardly cheered with victory as Adrien peppily jogged back to the group. "Awesome news! I can go, but I only have an hour so we better hurry!" The group started walking in the direction of the restaurant, but Adrien pulled Y/n to the back and looked at her with a frown. "You're not still mad at me are you?" He quietly asked her, and Y/n avoided eye contact as she let out a small sigh. "...I wasn't mad, just frustrated. Chloé doesn't deserve you being nice to her, Adrien."</p>
  <p>     "I get your point, but you don't always know what's happening behind the scenes. Chloé is just like us underneath her whole facade, she just has a... different way of dealing with her emotions. I'm not asking you to become her best friend, I'm asking you to at least tolerate her, for my sake." Adrien sighed as he grabbed Y/n's hand and gave it a small squeeze. The girl froze, not quite comfortable or sure as to what to make of the situation, but nonetheless, she gave him a hesitant nod. "Okay... I'll try." She whispered, and Adrien beamed at her words. </p>
  <p>     "You're the best! Thank you for understanding!" In one quick motion, Adrien bent down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before running up to walk with Nino. Y/n was shocked, to say the least, and felt her nose start to wrinkle. Not with disgust, per se, but definitely with uneasiness and confusion. <em>First Chat with the forehead kisses, now him? He's lucky no one's around, or this would've been another scandal. I should really start emphasizing the word platonic with this guy.</em> Y/n quietly sighed, stress starting to build up inside her, as she walked up to Marinette and Alya and they continued to make their way to the restaurant.</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I wasn't sure how to do the flashback sequence askldfkbfjagd I tried my best </p><p>hope you liked the chapter! please leave a comment or a kudos if you did! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Princess Fragrance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Are you getting sick?" Vinca asked, and Tikki gave her a small nod. "I think I'll be okay though." The red kwami weakly smiled before sneezing. "Are you sure? Do you need me to take you to Master Fu?" Y/n asked, setting down her pencil and carefully picking up Tikki. "No, no. Like I said, I'll be okay." The red kwami reassured, and Y/n looked at Vinca and Plagg with worry. "I didn't know kwamis could get sick..."</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     "You should really get some rest, Y/n." Plagg mumbled as he ate the slice of cheddar cheese. The girl in question let out a yawn and shook her head as she grabbed her coffee mug. "I have to finish my history homework. That robbery took all afternoon, so I might as well pull an all-nighter." Y/n replied before taking a sip of the lukewarm coffee. Vinca rolled her eyes. "I told her she needs to get better at managing time. These all-nighters are becoming a habit, and she's starting to get bags under her eyes." She whispered to the other kwamis as they let out a small giggle.</p>
<p>     "I summoned Plagg and Tikki so that they could give you company, not so you can gossip about me." Y/n pouted, poking Vinca with the eraser of the pencil, and the teal kwami smirked. "You really expected us to just watch you do homework?" She challenged, and Y/n gave her a frown. "I put on Captain America for you guys to watch!" She defended, pointing to the Switch on the other end of the desk playing the movie, and Plagg quietly huffed. "A guy that used to be scrawny, but is now ripped because of some potion, lives for over a hundred years, thanks to being frozen. Sounds completely fictitious if you asked me."</p>
<p>     "Wh— That sounds more believable than magical jewelry and little energy rats that turns teenagers into some ripoff versions of Sailor Moon." Y/n pouted as she turned the Switch off. "Sailor Moon?... I mean, at least the actor is attractive." Y/n heard Vinca mutter under her breath, but she decided to ignore it as Tikki spoke up. "In my defense, I thought it was a documentary." The red kwami quietly mumbled, her voice sounding a bit hoarse. "Tikki, you don't sound so good. Is everything okay?" Y/n asked, and the red kwami slowly shook her head. "I've been feeling a bit under the weather lately."</p>
<p>     "Are you getting sick?" Vinca asked, and Tikki gave her a small nod. "I think I'll be okay though." The red kwami weakly smiled before sneezing. "Are you sure? Do you need me to take you to Master Fu or something?" Y/n asked, setting down her pencil and carefully picking up Tikki. "No, no. Like I said, I'll be okay." The red kwami reassured, and Y/n looked at Vinca and Plagg with worry. "I didn't know kwamis could get sick..."</p>
<p>     "It's very rare, but it happens." Plagg mumbled through a full mouth. Vinca nodded her head and flew up to Tikki, who was falling asleep in the girl's hands. "Our energy needs to be restored after every transformation, but if you wait too long, bits of dark energy will build up inside of us. Even if the smallest bit of dark energy gets in us while we're low, it could make an easy gateway for more of it to produce over time." Vinca explained, and Y/n looked back to Tikki with worry. "Please tell Marinette, Tikki. From the looks of it, you won't be able to get better on your own at this point."</p>
<p>     Tikki frowned, but nonetheless looked at Y/n and nodded. "Okay..." She whispered, and Vinca petted Tikki's head. "You'll be okay." The teal kwami reassured. "You should send her back. It's late." Plagg informed the girl, and Y/n looked at the time on her phone and sighed. She carefully set Tikki down on the desk and went into her meditation pose. Over the months, it got easier and less tiring to summon Tikki and Plagg. Vinca told her that she might not even need to do the meditation pose anymore, but Y/n just wanted to make sure nothing would go wrong.</p>
<p>     After a flash of pink light filled in the room, Y/n opened her eyes to see Vinca and Plagg turning on the Switch and opening YouTube. "What're you doing?" Y/n asked as she sat down, and Vinca dismissively waved her hand. "I wanna show Plagg those satisfying videos." She muttered, and Y/n rolled her eyes. One time, Y/n fell asleep during an attempt of an all-nighter while watch YouTube. The Switch kept playing in the background, and it fell down the rabbit hole of ASMR slime videos. Ever since then, Vinca got obsessed and would watch them whenever Y/n did homework. The girl didn't necessarily complain, at least it distracts her kwami into not talking for hours.</p>
<p>     "Weirdo." Y/n quietly mumbled as the two kwamis sat in front of the Switch, entranced. An hour passed, the girl finished her homework and sent Plagg home. She let Vinca watch a couple more videos as she put her things into her backpack, and when she was done she was met with a sleeping kwmai as the slime video continued to play. Y/n halfheartedly rolled her eyes as she set Vinca down on the bed and grabbed her Switch to play Animal Crossing until it was time for school.</p>
<hr/>
<p>    "Morning!" Y/n called out as she walked out of the restroom. Skylar and George, who was making breakfast, looked at Y/n with bewilderment. "This is the fourth time this month you're awake this early." Skylar smirked, and Y/n shrugged as she made a beeline for the coffee pot. "What can I say. I'm very responsible." Y/n smiled, and George rolled his eyes. "You should start sleeping, N/n. It's not healthy for a girl your age to pull this many all-nighters." Y/n dropped the box of Goldfish she got from the cupboard to the floor as she looked at her uncle in shock. "What? How did you—"</p>
<p>     "I could hear you playing slime videos from across the hall at four in the morning. I'm not one to judge, but <em>slime?</em> Anyways, caffeine can only last so long. A good night's rest is where it's at." George slid a stack of pancakes into tupperware and set it to the side. Y/n pouted as she picked up the Goldfish box and poured some into a Ziploc bag. "Your uncle's right, N/n. Besides, George and I are the ones with eyebags around these parts. You can't come for our brand like that." Skylar stood up from table and closed her laptop. She walked over to the tupperware and gave George a kiss on the cheek as she packed it away. </p>
<p>     Y/n sighed, knowing they were right, as George slid her a plate with pancakes. "Eat up, don't be late to school, I need to head out." George ruffled the girl's hair as he ran out of the kitchen and set his apron on the counter. Skylar gave Y/n a hug and smiled. "I'll be leaving too. What time will you be home from school?" Y/n grabbed a fork from the drawer and shrugged as she prepared her coffee. "I don't think I'll be out long. Oh! I forgot, the cast list for the play I auditioned for yesterday is going out on Friday." </p>
<p>     "That's great! Remind us and let us know how it goes." Skylar smiled as she grabbed her car keys. George walked out from the room with his uniform in hand as he grabbed his own car keys. "We'll see you tonight! We love you!" George and Skylar gave the girl one last wave as they walked out of the apartment. Y/n grabbed her plate and walked over to the couch as she started to eat her food. Vinca flew out of the room and sat next to Y/n as the girl turned on the tv and watched the news.</p>

<p></p><div class="poem">
  <hr/>
  <p>     "Waaa!" A scream alerted Y/n to wake up. She looked up to the front of the class to see Marinette on the floor. "Ah, Marinette. What excuse do you have for us this time? Accidentally locked yourself in the bathroom again?" Ms. Mendeleiev asked as the bluenette sheepishly stood up. Y/n sunk into her chair and sighed. It was the last class of the day, and she was beyond tired at this point. She couldn't wait to go home and sleep for fifteen hours. "Uh, no! Of course not. I had to, uh, take my dog... to the vet! Because he... ate an entire wool sweater. Uh, it must've smelled like th—"</p>
  <p>     Marinette was cut off by a strong smell filling up the room. "Thank you, Rose. But I don't think our classroom needs extra refreshing." The teacher rolled her eyes as she made her way towards the back. Marinette sat in her seat as everyone looked at the girl with short blonde hair. "I thought someone packed a tuna fish sandwich, but it turns out it's Rose's perfume." Chloé laughed, and Y/n rolled her eyes. She looked back at the front of the class and realized Adrien wasn't in his seat either. <em>Was there an akuma attack after I fell asleep?</em></p>
  <p>     Ms. Mendeleiev confiscated Rose's perfume and glared at the earbud in her ear. "Furthermore, using your smartphone during school hours is strictly forbidden." She held her hand out and waited for Rose to give her the phone. "Take the rest of your things and go to the principal's office." The teacher said, and Rose frowned as she collected her things and made her way out the door. Ms. Mendeleiev walked to her front desk and waved the small perfume bottle to the class. </p>
  <p>     "Watch what happens when you play about with flammable substances in a chemistry lab." She spritzed some perfume inside a glass container with an open bottom and placed it upright around a tube, trapping the air inside. Then, she pushed a button and a small flame came out of the tube, creating a small explosion. All the students let a gasp as Ms. Mendeleiev crossed her arms with a huff. "Just to make sure you all remember that, I'll be quizzing you tomorrow on lab safety. Again!"</p>
</div><hr/>
<p>     "I hate the lab safety quizzes. It's literally the same thing everytime. She doesn't even bother switching the answer order." Y/n sighed as she walked with Nino out of the school entrance and the boy nodded as he carried Adrien's bag. "Tell me about it. I swear her class feels like an hour." The boy mumbled as they walked down the stairs. "Any news on Adrien?" Y/n asked as Nino looked down the street. "He said he'll be here in a second. I wonder where he runs off to all the time." </p>
<p>     Y/n thankfully avoided the question as Adrien appeared around the corner and ran up to the two. He let out heavy pants as Nino shook his head. "Dude." He began to scold as he handed the blond his bag, and Adrien sheepishly smiled as Y/n lightheartedly rolled her eyes. "You have got to stop missing classes." She told him, and the blond stood up straight. "I'm really sorry! I had a photoshoot?" Adrien said, although it sounded more like a question, and Nino looked at him skeptically. "During school? I seriously doubt that."</p>

<p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     "Good luck with chemistry tomorrow. we're taking a quiz." Y/n informed Adrien, thankfully changing the subject, and the blond let out a small huff. "Another? Uh, mind if I borrow some notes?" Adrien sheepishly asked, and Y/n shook her head. "I would give you mine, but I think have a little drool on them." At her words, Adrien and Nino looked at the girl with surprise. "You fell asleep during class again? I'm surprised you never get caught." The blond said, and Y/n smirked as she shrugged. "It's called excellent ninja skills." She bragged, but Nino rolled his eyes. </p>
  <p>     "Nah dude, it's called stop drinking ten cups of coffee and pulling all-nighters. Looks like Adrien isn't the only one with bad time management skills." Nino joked, and Y/n playfully rolled her eyes. "You have a point there." She mumbled, and Adrien looked at the time on his phone. "You guys wanna head over to the park and study? I have an hour before I need to go home." Y/n was going to agree, but her phone ringing distracted her. She looked down at the text and gasped. </p>
  <p>     <em>Pierre D: hey y/n! i just made it to the drama room, lmk when you'll get here</em></p>
  <p>     "Oh crap, I forgot that was today! Can't. I have to go to drama club." Y/n frowned as she looked up from her phone. This week she was paired with a boy in her grade, Pierre. He was a jokester with blue eyes and had blond curly hair. He was nice and all, but his pride, ego, and masculinity was borderline toxic. Probably to make up for the fact that he was 5'5. "Aw, total bummer." Nino sighed, and Adrien gave the girl an apologetic smile. "We'll keep a spot for you in case you have time."</p>
  <p>     "Much appreciated." Y/n smiled, and Nino pat Adrien on the arm. "Okay then, let's go dude." As they were about to leave, Marinette tripped over someone's bag and fell down the stairs, right onto Adrien. "Aaaah!" The bluenette screamed. Thankfully, the blond caught her, but Y/n was too distracted by a small red ball flying out of Marinette's purse. "Woah! You okay? Nothing broken?" Adrien asked, and Y/n watched in horror as the red kwami fell to the floor.</p>
  <p>     "Uh, yeah, uh, I'm fine." Marinette reassured. Nino and Adrien gave Y/n one last wave before leaving, and the girl stood frozen as Marinette realized Tikki wasn't in her purse anymore. "Hah! AAH!" Marinette panicked and started to search around the sidewalk. <em>Do... Do I help her? Think, Y/n. Just be like 'Hey I found this little toy! Is it yours?' Brilliant! Good job Y/n. </em>The girl tried walking up to grab Tikki, but her phone rang, and she let out a small groan as Pierre's contact popped up. "Hello?"</p>
  <p>     "Hey, Y/n! Really sorry to bother you, but could you please hurry to the drama room? I only have forty minutes to practice and I want to cram in as much as possible today before we practice again on Thursday." Pierre babbled over the phone, and Y/n watched in horror as Chloé walked up to the red kwami. "Yep, uh-huh. Sorry Pierre, kinda busy, but I'll be there in three!" The girl hung up and tried to run to Chloé's limo, but Rose got into a conversation with her, and Y/n wasn't exactly sure how to interrupt it.</p>
  <p>     Y/n stood, frozen, as Chloé teared up whatever letter Rose was giving her and sat down in the car. "Tikki?" She heard Marinette call out, seeing Tikki in Chloé's hands, and Y/n stood anxiously as the limo started to leave and Marinette chased it. "Chloé, wait up!" Y/n glanced at her phone. She was tempted to go transform to get the red kwami back and return her to Marinette, but then the bluenette would have questions as to how she knew Tikki was hers, and that's a whole can of worms Y/n wasn't allowed to open. Not to mention, Pierre would be beyond pissed if she cancelled the rehearsal last second.</p>
  <p>     "<em>Merde.</em> Please find her Marinette..." Y/n whispered to herself as the bluenette chased the white limo. The girl ran back to the school and accidentally slammed open the drama room door. Emmy Dabbraccio, a tall girl with curly brown hair and eyes, and Liah Mosburg, a short Spaniard with black curly hair and brown eyes, were already on stage, and Pierre was impatiently sitting on a desk, looking through his script. A few other students were in the library and makeup room. Everyone glanced her way after she slammed open the door, and she sheepishly waved as they went back to doing whatever they were doing before.</p>
  <p>     "There you are! Okay, I think we have the beginning pretty much down, so we should keep blocking and start from your line on page three." Pierre marked down limes with his pencil, and Y/n absentmindedly nodded her head. "Are you okay?" Pierre asked, noticing the girl's distress, and Y/n stared at him blankly before smiling and nodding. "Uhh... Yeah! Sorry, I'm running on six cups of coffee. I'm a bit sleep deprived..." </p>
  <p>     Y/n grabbed a pencil out of her bag and walked to an open area on the side of the classroom. Pierre skeptically followed as he glanced at his phone. "I guess we could cut practice down to thirty minutes, but we should get started now if we do!" He told her, and Y/n gratefully smiled, ignoreing the bubbles of anxiety brewing inside her. "Gotcha!" Y/n beamed, and she flipped open her script as they got into places.</p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     "Boom! I think the scene is pretty much done. We'll tweak it a bit and rehearse without a script on Thursday." Pierre closed his script with a smile. Emmy and Liah let them use the stage for the last run of the scene, and Y/n was grateful that her rehearsal finally ended. She ran off the stage and waved at Pierre anxiously. "Thanks Pierre! I'm really sorry about today, I'll be better rested by the next time!" Y/n waved a goodbye to the class as she ran out of the classroom and into the closest restroom. She made sure it was empty and locked her stall as she opened the front pocket for Vinca.</p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     "We need to find Tikki!" The teal kwami shouted with urgency, and Y/n hummed in agreement, but furrowed her brows. "I know we do, but how do we know if Marinette got her back yet or not? Even worse, if we were to find Tikki, how would we even give her back to Marinette? She'd ask questions, and you and I both know she can't know that I know who she is or I could get my miraculous taken away—" The girl was cut off by Vinca groaning and tugging her shirt. </p>
  <p>     "Enough with the knows! We'll think of that later, Y/n! There's no time, if Tikki strains herself too much, then she could get hurt. <em>Really</em> hurt. And by hurt I mean not having enough pure energy to transform Marinette into Ladybug. Any idea on where she might be?" Vinca frowned, and Y/n massaged her temples before reluctantly agreeing. "Chloé had her. Like I said, we don't know if Marinette got her back yet." Y/n stood up and set her backpack down in the corner of the stall. "We could always check the hotel, just to be sure." Vinca told her, and Y/n nodded. "Then let's not waste anymore time. Vinca, let's fly!"</p>
  <hr/>
  <p>      Hummingbird quickly ran to Le Grand Paris and looked through every window for a sign of Chloé. Sure enough, at one of the top floors, Chloé and her father were standing next to a boy around their age with paparazzi surrounding them. <em>Isn't that some sort of Prince? He was on the news this morning, something about helping sick children.</em> The heroine watched a puff of pink smoke come out of the elevator. A small amount of green smoke hit Chloé, and the group started to turn away from her. "What the hell was that." Hummingbird mumbled to herself, and she sighed when she saw a villain spray some of the paparazzi with pink smoke to make them turn around and worship her. <em>Seriously, </em>another<em> akuma attack </em>now? <em>Hawk Moth has the worst timing.</em></p>
  <p>     Hummingbird shot a suction cup arrow to the top of the building and used momentum to swing and crash into the room. Shards of glass flew everywhere as Hummingbird pulled out her bow and aimed it at the pink-haired girl. "Stay back!" She yelled to the villain, and the Prince looked between her and the villain in confusion. "Who-who are you people?" The mayor pushed the Chloé behind Hummingbird as a reporter and Nadja Chamack aimed the camera at the interaction, and the pink-haired villain smiled at the prince. "I'm Princess Fragrance and I've come just for you! In just a spritz you'll be mine, Prince Ali! Of course, that Hummingbird will be out of the way soon enough!"</p>
  <p>     "Yeah, that's me. I'm Hummingbird. I'm here to save you guys from this nut job." Hummingbird muttered to the boy, getting sight of the small red kwami inside of his jacket pocket. She was about to shoot a net arrow at Princess Fragrance, but looked around in surprise as confetti shot out of cannons. <em>No time for questions. </em>Instead, she enhanced the distraction by shooting smoke bomb arrows around the villain and she pushed Prince Ali to the stairwell door. "Quickly! This way!" She whispered to him, with his chaperone, the mayor, and Chloé following, but they hardly managed to go through a door before Princess Fragrance began to catch up. </p>
</div><p>     The group ran down the hall and made it into one of the suites. Hummingbird pushed everyone inside as Mayor Bourgeois slammed the door shut behind her. "We'll be safe in here. It's a reinforced door." He reassured. Hummingbird started to pace around the room in search of a plan as Prince Ali's chaperone began to huff. "So much chaos! How is anyone supposed to stick to a schedule around here?" She complained, and Hummingbird watched both her and the prince take a step away from Chloé. Come to think of it, Hummingbird didn't realize the rotten stench of fish coming from the blonde until now. </p>

<p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     <em>Tikki is right there, god damn it. Just grab her and go, Y/n. You're so close! </em>The heroine battled with herself as she watched the red kwami with worry. Tikki was still posing as a doll in the pocket, but it'll only take so long before she needs a break. Hummingbird started to reach for Tikki, but was alerted by Chloé screaming and pointing at something at the door. "What is that?" The blonde yelled, and Hummingbird followed her line of vision to the pink perfume fog coming from under the door. "Cover your noses, and get back!" </p>
  <p>     She ran to the balcony door and huffed as she thought of what to do. <em>I could use a cable arrow, but you need the bow as a zip line, and I couldn't possibly carry all four at once. And I still need to get Tikki. Crud! Think, birdy, think!</em> Instinctively, she slammed open the door and readied her bow to summon a cable arrow. Before she could shoot it, a humming noise outside the door got her attention. The pink smoked was getting sucked up, and she watched the mayor stupidly crack open the door to take a peek. </p>
  <p>     "Oh no, there are two of them now! Run!" Mayor Bourgeois led the group out of the room and Hummingbird huffed. "Hey! Where are you going? I— Ugh." She rolled her eyes and went to go follow them, not sparring a glance towards Princess Fragrance or the other figure on the floor. "You can't escape my perfume! La la la la la la!" The villain began to sing, building a fog of smoke that filled the entire hallway. Hummingbird ran through the door that Mayor Bourgeois was opening, but quietly cursed as the fog hit him. "Daddy!" Chloé called out to him as she stopped running and looked his way.</p>
  <p>     "Keep it moving, blondie!" Hummingbird told her as she grabbed Chloé's arm and led the group towards the dining area. As they ran through the door, Hummingbird pointed at the Butler holding it with urgency. The mayor was right on their tail and close to entering the room. "He's under the spell! Shut the door!" Hummingbird yelled. "But it's the mayor!" Prince Ali's chaperone defended, but Chloé rolled her eyes and stomped at the butler. "Who cares? Shut it now!"</p>
  <p>     The butler used a broom to push the mayor out of the way and slammed the door shut. He held it with a satisfied smirk, but soon another puff of smoke came through from a nearby elevator. Hummingbird pushed the group back to to the end of the room as Princess Fragrance walked out. "At your service, Princess Fragrance!" The butler sang, and the villain walked towards the group with a smile. "Come into my arms, my sweet prince!" Hummingbird went to grab her bow, but Chat Noir spoke up from a nearby windowsill he was sitting on. "Pee-ew! Can we get a little fresh air in here?"</p>
  <p>     "Tomcat! Great timing." Hummingbird smirked, and Chat Noir sent her a wink as he jumped out in front of Princess Fragrance and took out his staff. "No one will take my prince away!" The villain started shooting blasts of perfume with her gun, and Chat Noir and Hummingbird blocked them with their staff and arrows. Chat Noir then extended his staff, picking up Princess Fragrance, and launched her into the kitchen. Hummingbird shot a putty arrow at the door to seal it shut as the blond hero looked for a way out.</p>
  <p>     He extended his staff out a window and held it like a makeshift pole. "Emergency evacuation, everybody down!" He told the group, but the chaperone shook her head disapprovingly. "It's much too dangerous for the prince." She told the heroes, and Hummingbird looked around the room for a solution. "You're right. Safety first!" The heroine beamed as she grabbed three metal bowls off a cart. She handed them to the three civilians as Chat Noir slid down the staff to steady it at the bottom and Hummingbird went to steady it at the top. Chloé slid down, with Prince Ali following, and his chaperone soon after.</p>
  <p>     Hummingbird was about to slide down, but Chat Noir retracted the staff and used to launch himself up at her level. "You better stay here." He told her, and Hummingbird looked at him with utter disbelief. "What?!" She yelled, but Chat Noir gave her an apologetic frown. "You're the only other one who can catch akumas! Ladybug is no where to be found. I tried calling her on the way here and she's AWOL." <em>Because she doesn't have her kwami, idiot.</em> Hummingbird looked down at the three civilians, who were watching the heroes with worry. The bright red figure in the prince's pocket taunting her.</p>
  <p>     "But we can't turn everything back to normal without her!" Hummingbird told him, which was not entirely wrong. Chat Noir shook his head and pointed to the kitchen. "We'll think of that later. You get Fragrance, I'll take care of the prince. got it?" Hummingbird shook her head, about to protest, and Chat Noir gave her a soft smile and a wave. "But—" Before she could rebuttal, Chat Noir slid down and led the group to a car. "My prince!" Princess Fragrance cried out as she slammed open the door. Hummingbird groaned as she realized that the mayor and the butler were getting rid of the putty throughout the entire interaction.</p>
  <p>     The villain sparred no second glance at the heroine as she launched herself out the window with the perfume gun and followed the car. "Are you kidding me?! God damn it, Chat. This is why Ladybug makes the calls." Hummingbird went to follow, but the mayor and butler launched themselves at the girl and tackled her to the ground. She managed to push them away and shoot a net arrow to trap them down, but she quietly cursed as the villain started to disappear on the horizon. </p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     Hummingbird did her best to catch up, but she was quite lost after the villain flew down onto the street. She's hoping that it was because she ran out of perfume, not that she caught up to the car. Sadly, Princess Fragrance began to cackle as she was being carried away, her arm around Prince Ali. "Oh no! I'm too late!" Hummingbird felt her heart drop. She realized that Tikki was no longer in the prince's pocket, so she decided to go search the car. Whatever Princess Fragrance did led to a very bad accident on an intersection. Thankfully, the car they left in was still in tact.</p>
</div><p>     "Tikki, please be okay..." Hummingbird whispered as she poked her head through the door and looked around the seats. "Y/n?" A quiet voice hoarsely mumbled, and Hummingbird felt a pang of sadness run through her as she saw the small red kwami on the floor of the car. "Tikki! Oh, you're okay!" Hummingbird smiled as she picked her up, but the weak kwami looked at her in confusion. "Hummingbird? What are you doing here?" She asked, and Hummingbird sat down on the concrete outside the car as she tried to comfort the kwami. "I'm going to take you to Fu's." The heroine reassured, but Tikki softly shook her head. "You can't, take me to Marinette. She needs to catch Princess Fragrance."</p>
<p>     "But Tikki—" Hummingbird began to protest, but a girl wearing a motorcycle helmet and riding a scooter zoomed up to the accident. Hummingbird felt anger bubble up inside her as Marinette threw the helmet off and looked at the heroine with confusion. "Hummingbird?" Marinette mumbled under her breath, and the bluenette let out a small gasp as she saw the red kwami in Hummingbird's hands. "Tikki! Gah! I mean— Wow! You're Hummingbird! That's a real nice toy there! Where did you—"</p>
<p>     "Drop the act, Marinette." <em>Fuck. I shouldn't have done that...</em> Hummingbird glared as she softly shook her head, and the small red kwami stirred as she looked at the bluenette's direction. "Marinette..." Tikki weakly mumbled, and Marinette knelt down to her hesitantly. "Oh, Tikki... I was so worried." She whispered to the kwami, and Hummingbird reluctantly handed her to Marinette. "Do you realize how irresponsible that was? She's sick, she couldve gotten hurt! Why didn't you take her to a healer when she told you to?"</p>
<p>     Hummingbird began to scold Marinette, but the bluenette ignored her as she looked at the heroine with confusion. "Does this mean... Do you know who—" Hummingbird sighed, realizing that she made an awful mistake. She should've waited, she should've trusted Marinette to find Tikki on her own. If she did, she wouldn't have jeopardize her Miraculous, but now she's going to have to face the consequences the next time she faces Master Fu. "Yes, Marinette. But that's not important right now. She's much worse than I thought. We need to get her help."</p>

<p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     "No, Marinette don't listen to her. We don't have time. You have to transform. I'll be okay..." Tikki began coughing, and Marinette glanced between the kwami and the heroine hesitantly. "No, Tikki. Hummingbird's right. I'm not making the same mistake twice! We've gotta get you to the healer now!" Hummingbird and Marinette began to stand up, and the bluenette gave the girl a small glare. "You and I will talk about this later." She told the heroine, and Hummingbird reluctantly nodded before pointed to her back. "Hop on, I know a guy."</p>
</div><p>     Marinette looked at her reluctantly before placing Tikki in her purse and wrapping her arms around the girl's shoulders. Any other situation, Hummingbird probably would have blushed, but her mind was racing with the terrifying thought that she might get her Miraculous taken away. "Won't he ask questions? About Tikki, or about you?" Marinette asked as Hummingbird began to jump onto a building and run to Master Fu's shop, and the heroine nodded. "Yeah, you'll have to come up with an excuse. Something believable would be nice"</p>
<hr/>
<p>     <em>I'm so screwed...</em> As soon as Hummingbird landed on the ground Marinette slid off her back and looked at the building hesitantly. Hummingbird opened the door for the bluenette, and her heart began to race when she made eye contact with Master Fu. "How may I help you?" He asked kindly, and Hummingbird walked up to the counter with a nervous smile. "Hello sir, we're going to need that... special healing treatment?"</p>
<p>     "And who will be receiving this treatment?" He asked, and Hummingbird glanced at Marinette. The bluenette looked between the heroine and the old man in confusion before realizing that she had to make an excuse for Tikki. "Oh, uhm, my... cat! Yup! My cat!" Marinette awkwardly smiled, and Master Fu nodded with a small smirk on his face. "Hmm... I understand. Right this way." He led the girls to the door leading to the massage room and placed a pillow on the mat. Marinette looked at Hummingbird nervously before taking Tikki out of her purse and onto the pillow.</p>
<p>     Master Fu started the procedure as Marinette and Hummingbird sat next to the mat, watching Tikki carefully. The old man continued to hit his gong, and Marinette looked at him anxiously. "She going to be okay?" She asked him, worried. "One who is burning with impatience can never eat hot porridge." He responded, focusing on whatever he was doing with the gong. "Um, what has this got to do with eating?" Marinette asked innocently, and Hummingbird held back the urge to roll her eyes at the bluenette. "He's trying to say that you should be more patient and let him do his—"</p>
<p>     "Silence please. Reading energies. What type of cat did you say?" Master Fu asked as he placed his hands in front of Tikki. Hummingbird looked at Marinette expectantly, who was starting to panic. "Cat? Uhm, right. Rare hairless flying species from Kingdom of Achu. I was allowed to have one, because I won a zoo tap-dancing contest when I was in... the Kingdom of Achu." She let out a nervous laughed, and Hummingbird quietly sighed at the bad excuse. "Mm-hmm. Unusual." Master Fu mumbled, and Marinette eagerly nodded. "Yes, yes, very."</p>

<p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     "May I ask why you're with her, Miss Hummingbird?" The old man cheekily asked, and the girl's eyes widened with panic for a split second before she gave him a shrug. "Well, my uncle is an archeologist, so I've read many studies on this type of cat. I realized it was endangered and sick, so I knew I could come here. Yelp reviews kinda helped me out..." Master Fu smiled, impressed with the excuse, and Marinette looked at her with surprise, probably at the fact that she managed to come up with the excuse so quickly. "I see..." The Chinese man mumbled as he banged the gong for the last time. </p>
  <p>     "We are finished. Your cat's health has been restored." Master Fu announced as he set down the gong, and Hummingbird and Marinette looked at the kwami expectantly. Thankfully, Tikki lively flew up and into Marinette's hands. "Thank you, thank you so much! You're a real magician, sir!" Marinette beamed as she stood up. Hummingbird pet Tikki from the bluenette's hands as they were about leave the room, but Marinette stopped and looked back at Master Fu in confusion. "How did you do that?"</p>
  <p>     "Ancient Chinese secret." Master Fu called out to her. Marinette looked at him in confusion, but Hummingbird waved at Master Fu and led Marinette out of the room. They walked outside and Hummingbird closed the shop door with a tired sigh. "Go." She told Marinette, and the bluenette looked at her in shock. "What?" She asked and Hummingbird pulled down her hood and made sure no one was around before looking at Marinette seriously. "Tikki is fine now, go... <em>get</em> Ladybug and have her capture Princess Fragrance's akuma. I was just trying to look out for Tikki, considering her state. Besides, I need to stay here and make sure that old man doesn't spread any news about your <em>cat.</em>"</p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     "...You have a lot of explaining to do." Marinette mumbled, and Hummingbird gave her a small nod and a reassuring smile. "And I will, but not now, maybe later tonight. You need to go." Tikki flew out of Marinette's hands and into Hummingbird's. "I'm really sorry for not listening to you, Hummingbird. Thank you for looking out for me." The red kwami smiled, and Hummingbird gave her a beam back. "You're fine Tikki, you're better now, and that's all that counts." Tikki gave Hummingbird a hug before flying back into Marinette's hands. The bluenette gave Hummingbird one last glance before running down to the Seine's riverbank.</p>
  <p>     Hummingbird made sure Marinette was out of eye sight before walking back into the shop. She let out a tired sigh as she closed the door behind her and leaned against it. "Let's land." She muttered, and a teal light filled the room as Y/n de-transformed.  Vinca landed on the nearest counter, and the kwami looked at her wielder with confusion, who was reaching for the necklace clasp. "Y/n, What are you—" The girl cut the kwami off by taking the Miraculous off and frowning. "I'm really sorry..." She whispered as Vinca's form disappeared.</p>
  <p>     She held the necklace in her hand as she walked into Master Fu's room. He was waiting for her, preparing a pot of tea in the kitchen. Y/n sat down on the rug and pulled out the table as Master Fu prepared a plate with cookies. Wayzz flew out from the record player, and looked around in confusion for Vinca. Y/n sighed as she placed the Miraculous on the table and ran a hand through her hair. The old man walked into the room with the teacups and cookies, and looked at Y/n in confusion. <em>Well then, there's no beating around the bush. </em></p>
  <p>     "Master Fu... Master Fu, I'm so sorry. I tried to stay back, I really did, but I couldn't just let Tikki be there all by herself. She could've gotten so hurt. I know Tikki isn't my kwami, or Plagg, but that doesn't mean I can't look out for them, right? I care about them just as much as I care for Marinette and Adrien and Alya and Nino. They're my friends..." Y/n justified her actions and let out a frustrated sigh as she quickly wiped away a small tear. Y/n wasn't usually one to cry, but the fact that she was possibly losing her Miraculous was starting to make her tear up out of frustration. </p>
  <p>     "Why the tears?" Master Fu asked as he grabbed a napkin and handed it to her. Y/n blushed out of embarrassment, not proud of the fact that she was caught being so vulnerable, but nonetheless she grabbed the napkin and frowned. "You said Marinette and Adrien can't know that I know their secret identities, or else I'd get my Miraculous taken away, at least that's what Vinca said. Marinette knows that I, well Hummingbird, knows so I have to give it back to you."</p>
  <p>     She quickly wiped her eyes as she stared at the table blankly. "I— ...I know I get a bit stressed juggling all of this, school and crime fighting and now drama club and shows, and I know I don't always help with the akumas, but I enjoy being Hummingbird! I really do! I like being able to help the people of Paris. I like being able to do more than what's expected of plain old Y/n. I didn't expect to let it go of it all so soon..." </p>
  <p>     Y/n sat patiently, waiting for his response, and was surprised when the old man started to laugh. "Wh—" Y/n began to ask, but Master Fu handed her a teacup. "You're not going to get replaced, Y/n, if that's what you're wondering." He told her as he walked back into the kitchen to take the kettle off the stove, but that only led to the girl being even more confused. "B—But, I thought..." Y/n sat there, collecting her thoughts as Wayzz flew up to her with a smile. "Master Fu has us tell newbies that they'll get their Miraculous taken away so that we can emphasize how important it is to keep a your secret identity a secret."</p>
  <p>     "Huh?..." Y/n mumbled to herself as she glanced at her Miraculous.  "It's not anything worth stressing over. It's not like you told the whole world you know Marinette's identity. That'd be a different story." Wayzz reassured as he sat next to the plate of cookies, and Master Fu walked back with the teapot. Y/n looked at Master Fu once she processed the new information. "So... So this means I can still be Hummingbird?" She quietly asked, and Master Fu slid the necklace down her way. "We all make mistakes, I'll be the first to admit. You're more than worthy of the Hummingbird Miraculous, Y/n. That's why I chose you. It was one harmless mistake, I haven't lost a bit of trust in you at all."</p>
  <p>     Y/n smiled and grabbed the Miraculous cheerfully. As she put the silver necklace back on, Vinca reappeared and glared at Y/n. "Are you an idiot? Don't do that! Jeez, you gave me a heart attack." The teal sat down next to Wayzz and angrily munched on a cookie as Y/n smiled. "Noted, sorry for being that reckless..." The girl apologized, and Vinca softly rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever." The kwami mumbled, and Y/n gratefully smiled at Master Fu as he poured her some tea.</p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     Hummingbird sighed when she landed on the rooftop. She told Ladybug to meet her five minutes ago, so she only had so little time to prepare a logical explanation. After her short afternoon with Master Fu, she began to head home after the magical ladybugs repaired Paris. Vinca had her do some homework, but the girl couldn't stop worrying about the interaction she'd have tonight. Not to mention, her body was screaming at her to get some sleep. The first thing she did when landing on the rooftop was make sure there were no lingering civilians. It wouldn't be the first time she accidentally came across someone reading a book or making out with someone else. </p>
  <p>     Once the coast was clear, she sat down and looked out into the horizon, the tall glowing Eiffel Tower in the distance. "Enjoying the view?" A voice called out behind her, and Hummingbird sighed as she turned to face the all too familiar bluenette. "More or less." She replied as she stood up and faced Ladybug. The heroine in red had her arms crossed and a very serious look on her face, Hummingbird was beyond nervous.</p>
  <p>     "Let's cut to the chase. How do you know who I am? And why haven't you gotten your Miraculous taken away? Our kwamis explicitly told us that we must keep our identities secret, so you'd think you'd honor that. Did you stalk me? Is that how you found out? Speaking of kwamis, why do you know Tikki so well? To the point you're worried for her and knew she was sick?" Ladybug started to pace around the rooftop and Hummingbird watched her with a neutral look. "Listen, you need to take it easy, one question at a time. Let's start with this, you listened to the story Tikki told you, right? About how Miraculouses came to be?"</p>
  <p>     Ladybug looked confused at the question but nodded nonetheless. Hummingbird slowly exhaled and continued. "Well, each Miraculous has a role. Ladybug, creation, black cat, destruction, and hummingbird, balance. That's where my role comes in. While you and your calico run around Paris, I make sure you guys stay in line. That means in your civilian life too. I'm not stalking you, trust me, that's the last thing on my mind. I'm just making sure that your Miraculous doesn't get corrupt. I'm not trying to exploit you or anything. The only people who know your secret identities are me and the Guardian of the Miraculous, and that's how it'll stay."</p>
  <p>     Ladybug seemingly cooled down, and she processed the information before looking back up at Hummingbird. "What about my kwami? You were just as, if not more, worried than I was for Tikki." Hummingbird quietly sighed as she thought of how to respond. She couldn't exactly tell her that she opens a portal through the Miraculous once a week at three in the morning. "Let's say that keeping tabs on you means talking with your kwami every once in a while. I won't tell you how it's done, but yeah I've talked to Tikki many times. I know her well enough to worry for her. That shouldn't necessarily be a problem."</p>
  <p>      Apparently, the answer only made Ladybug even more agitated. She started to pace around again while rubbing her temples. "No, it <em>is</em> a problem. You act as if you're on top of the world! How entitled do you think you are exactly? You stalk me through my kwami, you keep secrets from me and Chat, and you don't even bother helping out with any of the akumas! 'Hawk Moth can't have all the Miraculous in one place'? Yeah right! You just wanna sit on your little throne while Chat Noir and I do all the dirty work!" Hummingbird frowned at the response and took a step closer to the bluenette. "Ladybug, you're upset, I get it. But I really don't have a choice! It's all apart of the job—"</p>
  <p>     Ladybug cut her off by rolling her eyes and letting out a loud groan. "Ugh! <em>Enough</em> with this whole 'job' metaphor, Hummingbird! No more excuses! It's not fair that you get to stand on a pedestal and do nothing while me and Chat Noir actually do something to keep Paris safe! News flash, you're not better than us in any way, so stop acting like it." Ladybug turned to leave, but Hummingbird was quick to grab her arm and keep her there, the conversation wasn't exactly leaving on a good note.</p>
  <p>     "Ladybug, <em>listen to me.</em> You're angry and upset and confused, rightfully so. But belittling me isn't helping you in any way to understand. I'm not on any type of pedestal. I'm not saying I'm any better than you or Chat. I'm simply doing stuff behind the scenes in order for you guys to continue working smoothly. I get that you don't comprehend it all too well. Hell, <em>I</em> don't even completely get it, but I'm doing the best I can to be helpful for you, Chat Noir, and Paris. I'm not the dictator you're painting me out to be, I'm just a peacekeeper trying to make sure everything stays in line." </p>
  <p>     The bluenette softly yanked her arm from out of Hummingbird's grasp and huffed. She closed her eyes as she thought, and Hummingbird bit her lip as she waited for a response. The girl sighed and looked out into the city horizon as Ladybug continued to stay quiet. "Maybe you're right. It's stupid of me to not help catch akumas. But do you really I want to intrude on this dynamic that's already established between you and Chat Noir? And you expect me to continue to work with you throughout the constant, degrading glares you send my way? I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot, I really am. But I can't exactly undo any of it if you're not willing to understand."</p>
  <p>     A long moment of silence passed by. It felt like ten minutes, Hummingbird looking out to the city and Ladybug staying quiet behind her. After a while, the bluenette finally broke the silence. "I—... I'm sorry, for snapping at you like that. That was out of line." She mumbled, and Hummingbird turned back to face her and give her a small smile. "We all make mistakes. It's okay." The girl reassured, but the bluenette shook her head with a frown. "But it's not though. We're allies, we shouldn't be making enemies within our own team when a bigger threat is right in front of us." The two stayed quiet for another moment, and Hummingbird hesitantly held her hand out for a shake. "Apology accepted, but from now on no more arguments or fighting. Like you said, a bigger enemy awaits, and we all strive to defeat it, right?"</p>
  <p>     Ladybug happily nodded and firmly shook hands, and Hummingbird felt herself beam at the silent truce. The two heroines looked out into the horizon to process the new information and admire the view. Not long after, Ladybug faced Hummingbird hesitantly. "I get that you have to keep secrets, but hopefully one day you'll be able to trust me and Chat. Maybe even become apart of the team." Hummingbird smiled at the gesture and reluctantly shrugged her shoulders. "You make a compelling offer, Miss Bug, but as of right now, it seems that only time will tell."</p>
  <p>     Hummingbird could hear Master Fu's ring through her ears as she recited the last phrase, and she softly rolled her eyes at the fact that one of his metaphors got stuck in her head. Ladybug nodded and gave the girl a small wave. "I'll be going now. Thank you, for explaining everything to me. And I'm sorry, again, for how I was acting." Ladybug started to move to the edge of the rooftop, and Hummingbird followed her.</p>
  <p>     "It's no problem, but can you do me a favor? Can you not tell Chat Noir about all this just yet? It's already a stretch on my part to let you know, it'll take a bit more time until I can spill the beans to him too." Ladybug nodded understandably and waved again before leaving. Hummingbird watched her figure disappear in the skyline as she let out a large yawn. "All this, and it's still only Tuesday." She mumbled to herself as she began to go home. It was a miracle she made it back in one piece. By the time she made it to her room, she immediately de-transformed, flopped onto her bed, and fell asleep.</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i feel like this chapter was pretty short tbh sorry about that. nonetheless i hope you liked it! please leave a comment or a kudos if you did!</p>
<p>on a serious note, i have a very important question! im trying to write the next chapter, but im very confused on the direction i should go. do you guys want some more hummingbird action or some more y/n action? the chapter could play out either way, so itd be really helpful if you could give me your opinion! </p>
<p>small reminder to wear your mask! and stay safe!!! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Simon Says</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Well, yes, I'm a hypnotist. But, uh, I don't use my skills to get anything." Simon sheepishly smiled as he played with his deck of cards. "So, your challenge today, Simon, is to use your talents to bring a very elusive celebrity to this very TV set! Give it up for the king of fashion, Gabriel Agreste!" Alec beamed as the screen turned Gabriel Agreste, and Y/n watched Simon's face pale when the designer glared through the screen. "What is this show? I was told this was an interview."</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Some stuff you probably know:</p><p>H/c: Hair color<br/>E/c: Eye color</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     Its been a while, to say the least. In the last three weeks, Y/n's usual routine was slightly shifted off balance. At first it was normal, akuma attack here and there, nightly patrols, a couple all nighters, and a stack homework every night. It started to change after she got into the school play. She didn't get that big of a role, but it was good enough for a first time. She was the nosy maid, who was in the background for most of the scenes, and had a total of five lines around the end of the show. </p><p>     It also took her aback a bit when Alya and Nino started dating. It was completely out of the blue. It started a week ago, after an akuma attack by a guy named Animan. Y/n was at rehearsal for the play that day. Apparently she wasn't the only one with a crush on Marinette, and Nino tried to take her on a date by saying Adrien was joining them. Long story short, Alya and Nino got stuck in a cage together and ended up bonding.</p><p>     It caught Y/n off guard, but she was rapidly adapting to the small change. She was very happy for them to say the least. They matched each other's personality's very well, and it also made it easier that the two friend groups were more conjoined. Whenever Marinette or Adrien were busy with akumas, the girl would hang out or do homework with the couple. Thankfully, she would be able to spend time with them without feeling like too much of a third wheel. </p><p>     This weekend was surprisingly not too busy, which made Y/n a little suspicious. Currently, the girl was finishing her literature assignment so her day would be free tomorrow for Nino's game show. He was invited to go on a show called The Challenge and was allowed to bring four people backstage. Alya's mom was at work and her dad was going out of town with her older sister for a wrestling tournament, so Alya had to babysit her little sisters for the day. Adrien was allowed to go, but his bodyguard had to tag along. The only one who had yet to confirm if she was going was Marinette.</p><p>     "Are you even listening to me?" Vinca huffed and pushed the pencil out of Y/n's hands. The girl blinked as she emerged from out of her thoughts and turned off the music. "Sorry, Vinca. What were you saying?" Y/n asked as the teal kwami rolled her eyes and stuffed a goldfish into her mouth. "I said, you need to practice summoning those different types of arrows at some point." She told her wielder, and Y/n furrowed her brows. "But I haven't needed them." </p><p>     "I know, I know, but these arrows take more energy and experience than your normal ones or smoke bombs or cable arrows. That's why the putty wasn't strong during the Princess Fragrance attack. What if you need a flare or suction-tipped arrow in the middle of an akuma attack? You won't be able to summon it because you don't practice—" Vinca was cut off by Y/n sighing and picking up her pencil. "I'll practice, but I already told you, it's not my job to help out with the akumas. Unless it's really bad, I don't need to be there. Now if you'd kindly get off my homework, I need to finish this so I can go on patrol before Skylar comes home."</p><hr/><p>     "Welcome back to everyone's number one live game show: The Challenge! Let's give it up for our awesome contestant, Nino!" The host, Alec beamed as he welcomed the brunet boy onto the stage.  Y/n quietly clapped next to Adrien as the stage crew prepared the DJ booth. "So Nino, you're a student and a DJ. That's pretty awesome! Check out the decks we got for you! So, the challenge the viewers have chosen for you is... To get the mayor of Paris, André Bourgeois, to dance! Thank you for agreeing to play with us today, sir. What are Nino's chances tonight?"</p><p>     The large screen behind the two lit up as Mayor Bourgeois' face appeared on the screen. "Zero. I despise dancing. The last time I set foot on a dance floor, Madonna was in kindergarten." The older man said, and Nino began to set up the DJ to his liking as another man walked up to Adrien. He timidly tried to shake the blond's hand, but the bodyguard was quick to protectively shield the boy and growl at the man. "No! It's okay!" Adrien assured in shock, and Y/n held in a giggle as her phone vibrated at a text from Marinette.</p><p>     <em>Marinette 🥖: heyyyyy! so im kunda grounded so i camt come :(</em></p><p>
  <em>awwww that sucks :( howcome?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Marinette 🥖: for missing classes. its okat tho! hopefully ill be there next time! habe funnn!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>yeah totally!! miss u!! &lt;3</em>
</p><p>     "Who is it?" Adrien asked as he peaked over the girl's shoulder, and Y/n frowned as she showed him the screen. "Marinette. She said she can't make it." The girl explained as she put her phone away in her back pocket and looked back at Nino, who was starting to sweat a little. Y/n smiled as the mayor started to nod his head at the beat. That didn't go unnoticed, because Alec jumped on stage and threw his hands into the air. "Victory! Challenge conquered by Nino. You moved your head to the beat, Mayor Bourgeois! That counts as dancing!"</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     "What?! That's not true! My neck was... itching, that's all." The man defended and Alec cheekily smiled as he shrugged and walked over to Nino. "Relieving an itch to the beat counts as dancing, too! Nino, congratulations. You'll return in one week to meet your next challenge! And now, for our next contestant, welcome Simon Grimault!" Nino started to walk off stage as the screen ended the call with the mayor and the nervous man walked onto the stage.</p>
  <p>     Nino beamed as he walked up to his friends and Adrien gave him a fist bump. "Awesome, dude!" The blond whisper-yelled excitedly, and Y/n softly elbowed Nino on his arm with a smile. "Nice job, Nino!" She congratulated, and the three quickly turned their attention back on stage with the two older men. "Mr. Grimault, you are a hypnotist. You use cards to hypnotize people to get what you want from them!"</p>
  <p>     "Well, yes, I'm a hypnotist. But, uh, I don't use my skills to get anything." Simon sheepishly smiled as he played with his deck of cards. "So, your challenge today, Simon, is to use your talents to bring a very elusive celebrity to this very TV set! Give it up for the king of fashion, Gabriel Agreste!" Alec beamed as the screen turned Gabriel Agreste, and Y/n watched Simon's face pale when the designer glared through the screen. "What is this show? I was told this was an interview."</p>
  <p>     "Dude, your dad!" Nino yelled to Adrien as Alec nudged the hypnotist closer to the camera. "Do your thing, Grimault, let's see if you can bring Mr. Agreste here with your hypnotic persuasion!" The host beamed, and Simon shook his head with a frown. "I told you, I don't make people—" The man couldn't finish his sentence because Alec beamed and pat Simon on his back. "Ha! A shy hypnotist! How funny is that, Gabriel?" The host smiled as he looked at the designer through the camera, but Gabriel showed no signs of joy.</p>
  <p>     "Hilarious. Your show is pathetic. And so is your contestant. Control me? Never." The screen turned black, meaning that Gabriel ended the call, which caused everyone to be a little confused and shocked. "That's my dad, all right." Adrien whispered, but Y/n furrowed her brows and shrugged. "Still, a bit harsh if you ask me, even for him." She whispered, and Alec cleared his throat as he looked back at the camera. "Looks like Mr. Agreste has turned on your challenge. Game over!"</p>
  <p>     "But... that's not fair! I didn't even get time to..." Simon was led off the stage and out the room as Alec led the show onto commercial break. Apparently they didn't expect Gabriel to hang up so soon, so the crew was trying to find out what to do in order to fill up the lost time. As the set quietly began to chat, Y/n checked inside her mini-backpack to see Vinca quietly snoring. She had already finished her granola bar and half of the grapes, so the first thing Y/n would have to do when the show finished was to get Vinca some food. </p>
  <p>     "I cant believe your dad just hung up like that. On live TV!" Nino whispered, and Adrien skeptically glanced at the bodyguard before shrugging. "Maybe he was busy." The blond defended, and Y/n hummed in agreement as the crew got ready for the commercial break to end. The three teens paid attention to the show host as Alec stepped up to the camera and smiled. "Welcome back to The Challenge! Now, as we get closer to the end of the show—"</p>
  <p>     "Simon says the show is not over!" A purple man cackled as he slammed open the doors and walked in. "What on earth?!" Alec yelped, and Y/n's eyes widened as she realized the man was the hypnotist Alec kicked out. "Adrien... I think that's the guy your dad hung up on." Y/n whispered to the blond as Simon Says picked out a card from his deck. "Silence! Simon says you're lame! As lame as a duck!" Then a symbol of a duck appeared on the card and the purple man threw it at the host. Alec started acting like a duck, and Adrien's bodyguard tried to stop Simon, but the villian pulled out another card.</p>
  <p>     "Simon says stop!" He smirked as a stop symbol appeared on the card and he threw it to the stocky man. Simon Says pulled out another card and an image of a gorilla appeared. "Simon says you are a Gorilla!" The people in the studio started to panic and run out the doors. Y/n grabbed Nino and hid with him in a corner as Adrien ran out the doors. "Gabriel Agreste turned down my challenge and he will pay for it! By midnight tonight, he will entertain us in this very TV studio. Gabriel, I'm coming to get you!"</p>
  <p>     Simon Says evilly smirked at the camera as Y/n peaked around the large chest she was hiding behind. Nino pat her on the shoulder and pointed to a dark figure crouching on a bar on the ceiling. Chat Noir made eye contact with Y/n and winked as he placed a finger over his lips. Nino shot Y/n a skeptical look, and the girl sheepishly shrugged before they watched Chat Noir jump on the villian. "Chat Noir says: Zip it and gimme those cards!" It caught Simon off guard, causing him to drop all his cards, but he managed to hold one and aim it at the bodyguard.</p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     "My gorilla will take care of you. Simon says... knock him out!" It hypnotized the man to launched himself at Chat Noir and throw them into the hallway. As Simon Says crouched down and picked up all the cards, Y/n was peeking over the black box and watched the man intensely. "I could use an army!" The man giddily mumbled to himself as he held onto his deck and walked out of a different set of doors.</p>
  <p>     When the coast was clear, Y/n bolted up from behind the chest and started to walk into the direction the villain went. "Dude! Where are you going?!" Nino whispered as he grabbed onto Y/n's wrist and pulled her back down behind the box. <em>Honestly, I don't know.</em> The girl bit the inside of her cheek before shrugging. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm gonna go follow Simon Says." She told him, which wasn't exactly a lie. Nino looked at her with shock as he rapidly shook his head. "But you could get hurt! Chat Noir is—" </p>
  <p>     "Chat Noir is busy fighting Adrien's bodyguard. I'm not gonna stop the guy, just try to slow him down for Ladybug's sake." The girl reassuringly patted Nino's shoulder before bolting back up again, her phone falling out of her back pocket in the process. She decided to ignore it and ran out the same doors Simon exited. "Y/n! Wait!" Nino quietly called out to her, but she chose to ignore him and follow the sound of panicked yelps. "Simon says... you are all soldiers!" The familiar voice yelled. Y/n quietly ran and followed it to the elevators. She peeked around the corner to see the purple man throwing cards with a soldier symbol at a group. "Simon says... search all over Paris, my army, and find Gabriel Agreste!" He commanded.</p>
  <p>     Y/n panicked as a group of people started to walk down the hall, and she did her best to quietly sprint into an empty janitor's closet. "You're helping out with the akuma?" Vinca whispered from inside the bag as Y/n watched the shadows of the group of people walk past the door. "What? No? I'm just... I'm seeing what way Simon is going so I can safely evacuate the building." The girl retaliated as she took off her mini backpack and opened it. The kwami gave her a knowing smirk as she flew out of the bag. "Uh-huh." Y/n rolled her eyes at the comment and her cheeks began to flush. "Oh be quiet. Vinca, let's fly!"</p>
  <hr/>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     Ladybug kicked open the door and readied her yo-yo to attack. To her surprise, no one was in the room. She took a small stroll around and a familiar face popped out from behind a black chest. "Ladybug!" Nino called out to her in relief. The bluenette looked at him in surprise for a split second before running up to the boy. "Oh... Hey! You okay?" The heroine asked him, and Nino gave her a nod as he walked closer to her. "I'm fine, but my boy Adrien's still here somewhere, and my dude Y/n ran off to stop that Simon guy!" He frowned, but Ladybug gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, we'll find them."</p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     "Oh, hey there, Ladybug!" Chat Noir beamed as he looked at the opening elevator. The hypnotized bodyguard fell for his bluff and looked at the elevators in searcb for the heroine. His grip lossened enough for Chat Noir to break free and kick him into the elevator. "Enough already. Cataclysm!" Chat Noir used his Cataclysm to make the elevator malfunction and the box began to fall. In a split second, a blur of green ran up to the open doors and shot five cable arrows to the falling elevator. The strong cables connected to the side of the wall and Hummingbird turned to face Chat Noir with a glare.</p>
  <p>     "Chat! What was that? He could've gotten hurt." The heroine shook her head and Chat Noir looked at her with surprise. "He tried to attack me!" The blond defended, but Hummingbird rolled her eyes at the poor excuse. "And? He's hypnotized for goodness' sake." The girl watched the blond boy pout before she looked down the hall at the sound of footsteps. Chat Noir did a backflip and grabbed his staff to defend himself in the process. Hummingbird watched with amusement as he aimed it at Ladybug and Nino, who was looking at the heroes in awe, and the bluenette smirked. "Nice seeing you too, Chat Noir."</p>
  <p>     "Oh, sorry. I thought you were Simon Says." Chat Noir sheepishly smiled as he let his guard down, and Hummingbird walked up to the group of three. "I heard him! He said he was going to get a whole army together!" Nino explained to the three heroes and Chat Noir frowned. "He's looking for Gabriel Agreste. We better get to him faster then they can!" The blond started to walk down the hall but was distracted by his ring letting out a beep. "Chat Noir, you're about to change back. I'll take one last look around for Nino's friends." Ladybug started to walk away, but Hummingbird let out shrug.</p>
  <p>     "Forget it. I evacuated a group of people out of the building, your friends could've been apart of it. If not, they probably got hypnotized." She told them, but Nino frowned. "But they're my buddies!" He retaliated, and Chat Noir placed a hand on Hummingbird's shoulder before she could respond. "You're right. Maybe they're hiding. I'll leave you to look for them. Let's meet up at Gabriel Agreste's place later on." He told the two heroines, and they gave him a nod as Chat Noir waved and ran through the door to go down the stairwell. "Shall we?" Ladybug smiled as she led the group into the opposite direction. </p>
  <p>     "Well, I was just helping people evaluate. If everything's under control—" Hummingbird was began to wave, but Ladybug frowned and grabbed her shoulder. "Hummingbird, wait. We could really use your help." The bluenette told her, and Hummingbird bit her lip. "Uhm..." Ladybug let out a quiet sigh and let go of the girl to run her fingers through her hair. "I know you don't like to have all the Miraculous in one place, but Simon Says looks like a really big threat. Help us just this once and then we can go back to you doing your own thing."</p>
  <p>     <em>Say no say no say no say no say no.</em> "...Well then, what are we standing around for? Let's get a move on!" <em>Fuck!</em> Hummingbird awkwardly smiled and Ladybug beamed as she led her and Nino out of the hallway and onto a glass bridge. Hummingbird quietly sighed and on the other side of the bridge a familiar blond ran up to them. "Nino!" Adrien called out, and the brunet boy hugged his friend. "Adrien! Dude, you okay? Have you seen Y/n?" Nino let go of Adrien and the blonde furrowed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm fine, but I haven't seen her at all." Adrien then turned to look at Ladybug and timidly walked up to her. "...Hello?"</p>
  <p>     "Uh... Hello! You sure you're okay?" Ladybug smiled, and a small blush coated her cheeks as Adrien began to turn pink. Nino and Hummingbird looked at each other awkwardly and the heroine shrugged. "I'm fine, really. Should we worry? I don't want her getting hurt..." Adrien frowned, and Hummingbird took a step forward next to Ladybug. "What does she look like?" She asked. "H/c hair, e/c eyes, kind of tall/short/average height?" Nino told her, and Hummingbird furrowed her brows and rubbed her chin as she pretended to be in thought. </p>
  <p>     "Oh, yeah, the stocky/lanky girl? The one playing hero? I caught her trying to sneak up on Simon Says. She was apart of the group I helped evacuate. She's probably home safe by now." Hummingbird smiled, but Ladybug didn't seem convinced. "Don't you think she would've texted her friends at this point to let them know she's okay?" The bluenette asked, but Nino shook his head and pulled out a phone. "She dropped her phone when she was leaving." He said, and Hummingbird gave Ladybug a reassuring smile. "See? Like I said, she's probably fine. Either way, we've got to get to the Agreste mansion now! Mr. Agreste is in danger!" Ladybug skeptically sighed and nodded. "Let's go. Chat Noir will meet us there."</p>
</div><hr/><p>     "Nathalie, where's my father? He's in danger!" Adrien yelled as he opened the door and walked through the entrance. The group followed him and Hummingbird smiled to herself as Ladybug looked around in awe. "He knows already." Nathalie said from the bottom of the stairs, and everyone looked at the figure standing at the top of it. "Good evening, Ladybug, Hummingbird." Gabriel said calmly, and Adrien frowned. "Father, you've gotta get outta here. The hypnotist Simon Says is coming after you!" The blond warned. </p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     "What? And be dictated by a madman? Certainly not." The older man furrowed his brows, and Hummingbird watched Adrien look at his father with frustration. "But father, he's dangerous! Who knows what he'll do?" He continued to argue, but Gabriel gave him a soft glare. "Head up to your room now. You've had enough excitement for today. Nathalie, make sure they stay there." Adrien dropped his shoulders and sighed as Nathalie wrapped an arm around him and led him up the stairs. Hummingbird watched Nino follow them and Gabriel gave her and Ladybug an apologetic smile. "I have to apologize for my son. He's like his mother. Way too overly dramatic." </p>
  <p>     "But he's right, you know." Hummingbird defended with a frown, and Ladybug nodded in agreement. "Simon Says is a real threat. You're in a lot of danger!" The bluenette told him, and Gabriel smiled and walked down the stairs. "What could possibly happen with you two here to protect me?" He said, placing his hands on the heroines' shoulders. Hummingbird stood there, feeling uncomfortable as he stared at her necklace, but thankfully someone walked out to the stairs causing the older man to let go of the teens. "Mr. Agreste? I hate to interrupt..." Skylar quietly walked down the stairs and up to the man.</p>
  <p>     "You're fine, Skylar. What do you need?" Gabriel turned to face the woman as she held up a folder. "I've collected all the designs for the upcoming season in these folders. Do you want me to head out to the production office now?" She asked, and the older man nodded. "Yes, that'd—" Hummingbird instantly got protective and interrupted Gabriel with a frown. "Absolutely not." She said, and the three looked at her with shock. "Excuse me?" Gabriel asked in disbelief, and Hummingbird crossed her arms. "There's a literal army waiting for you outside those gates. The safety of everyone in this household is far more important than getting a folder delivered. You can wait. There's an akuma attack directly targeting you, the office will understand."</p>
  <p>     The group stayed in a tense silence. Even Hummingbird was surprised at the burst of confidence to challenge and stand up to the older man. The silence was broken by Skylar, who cleared her throat. "Ahem, I'll prepare the paperwork for the meeting with the marketing manager." She walked away up the stairs and Gabriel gave the two heroines a small smile. "Please, follow me. Make yourselves at home." He began to walk up the stairs and Ladybug glanced Hummingbird before they followed the man. They walked into his office, trying not to be too loud since Skylar was working on her computer, and the girls looked around the room before walking up to a board with model pictures of Adrien.</p>
  <p>     "Isn't he flawless?" Gabriel asked, and Ladybug jumped and looked at him in shock. "Huh? What? Flaw—what?" She asked, and Gabriel looked at the photos with a smile. "Adrien, my son. He's the image of perfection, don't you think?" <em>You make it seem like you only like the image of him, not him as a person.</em> Ladybug nodded as she looked back at the board. "Oh, yes, he's perfect. I mean, um, I don't know him very well, but he seems..." The bluenette lost her train of thought as she stared at the photos, and Hummingbird finished Ladybug's sentence with furrowed brows. "Like a very kind boy. I'm sure you're very proud of his humbleness and accomplishments."</p>
  <p>     "I've never noticed your earrings before. They really are quite unique. May I?" Gabriel tried to reach his hand out to Ladybug's ear to get a better look at the Miraculous, and Hummingbird frowned as Ladybug's yo-yo started to ring. "Excuse us." The girl tensely smiled as she dragged the bluenette away from Gabriel. Ladybug let out a quiet sigh of relief as she answered the call. "Chat Noir, where were you?" Ladybug asked, and Hummingbird looked at the phone to see Chat Noir jumping onto the Agreste Mansion roof. "I, I was... keeping Simon Says at bay!"</p>
  <p>     "And? Chat Noir?" Ladybug asked, and Chat Noir frowned. Hummingbird looked at the security camera monitors to see a large group of people bang the entrance gates. "I couldn't keep him away. He's coming. He's got company." Hummingbird ran to a window and opened it and Chat Noir entered and closed it behind him. "Close off all exits! They're coming from another direction! Do as I say! Engage the self-defense system, we need total lockdown!" Skylar stood up from her seat with a look of worry as Gabriel walked up to his large tablet and activated the defense system.</p>
  <p>     "Lockdown engaged." A voice rang through the speakers, and Gabriel looked at Chat Noir with a skeptical frown. "How do you know so much about the system?" He asked, and the blond hero sheepishly smiled. "Uh... In a house like this... it's a given!" He defended, and Gabriel reluctantly looked back at the security camera monitors. "They won't get in. This house is built like a fortress." He told the heroes, but the power suddenly turned off. Skylar walked over to Nathalie's desk and turned on the generator system. </p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     "Emergency power on." The announcer rang again, and the lights turned back on. Everyone turned to the monitors to see the hypnotized army break down the gate. "There are too many of them. Your defense system is failing!" Hummingbird frowned, and Ladybug let out a gasp. "Adrien and Nino! I better go get them!" The bluenette ran towards the door, but Gavriel stopped her and opened a secret compartment behind a small painting holding two controls. "Here, Nathalie. Pick the controls in case you need to unlock an exit. She's coming with you."</p>
  <p>     Nathalie grabbed a controller and walked out with Ladybug. "I'll reinforce the outer defenses. Go hide in the atrium. It's not safe in here." Chat Noir told Gabriel, and Hummingbird hummed in agreement as she walked up to the man. "I'll go with you and make sure you're safe, sir." She told him, but Gabriel tsked. "No one tells me what to do. Not even a super. I don't need to be supervised like a child." Chat Noir's eyes lit with anger and frustration as he walked up to the compartment and grabbed the controller. "You're in danger, like everyone else! So stop pretending you're above us all, just do what I tell you to!" He yelled.</p>
  <p>     Gabriel and Hummingbird looked at the hero with surprise, and Gabriel furrowed his brows as he studied Chat Noir's features. "Quite a temper. You remind me of someone." He quietly mumbled, and Hummingbird looked at Gabriel with panic in her eyes as she grabbed Chat Noir by the forearm. "We better get going, Chat." She told him, and the blond gave her a small nod. "Right." He opened the door and ran out, and Hummingbird went to follow him but was stopped by Skylar calling out to her. "Don't worry, Hummingbird. I'll keep an eye on Mr. Agreste."</p>
  <p>     Hummingbird gave her a smile and nodded before running out of the room. She ran down the hall and saw Nathalie and Nino walking out Adrien's room. "Ms. Sancoeur? Where are you taking Nino? Where's Adrien and Ladybug?" She asked as Nathalie closed the door. "Ladybug told me to take him to the atrium. She's waiting for Adrien to finish showering." She explained, and Hummingbird pretended to look confused. "Showering? Now?" She asked, a little proud that he managed to use that as an excuse. "It's the model in him!" Nino told her with a smile, and Hummingbird nodded. "Alright, I'll escort you to the atrium."</p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     They quickly walked back down the and Hummingbird opened the door for Nathalie and Nino. Gabriel looked at the group with a frown. "Where's my son?" He asked, and Hummingbird reluctantly looked at him before responding. "He'll be here. He's with Ladybug." She said, and Gabriel intensely stared at her as he hummed to himself. Suddenly, the doors of the house slammed open and a group of people ran inside. "Take cover!" Hummingbird yelled as she slammed the door closed.</p>
  <p>     She started fight the running people and had them pushed down the stairs. She tried to summon putty arrows but the slime turned into liquid. "Wh— god damn it, I hate it when Vinca is right." Hummingbird whispered to herself as she summoned net arrows to try to hold them down. Hummingbird let out a yelp when someone tripped her and ran up to Gabriel and Adrien's door. Hummingbird shot multiple suction-cup arrows and tried to pull the people away from the doors but the arrows fell, causing the heroine to let out a frustrating groan. "You're kidding me!" She yelled, and another group of people pinned her down to the floor. </p>
  <p>     She watched Simon Says walk up to the gates, and she managed to push the people off of her and escape to a different floor. She watched helplessly as the villian walked into Gabriel's room and had his hypnotized army drag Gabriel out. <em>Wow, don't I feel useless.</em> After a few moments she ran into the room to see Skylar, Nathalie, and Nino hiding behind desks. "Is everyone okay?" She asked and, Ladybug ran into the room with a frown. Chat Noir jumped into the messy room from a window. "Well, that's just great." He sighed, and Hummingbird nodded in agreement as she ran a hand through her hair in frustration.</p>
</div><hr/><p>     "Welcome to another exciting hour of The Challenge! Good evening again from Simon Says. Viewers, I've kept my promise. Here's Gabriel!" Simon Says as he aimed the camera towards the man being held by Adrien's bodyguard. Simon pulled a card out from his deck and made a symbol of a butterfly appear. "Simon says... you are a butterfly!" The villian yelled, and Gabriel started to run around the room, flapping with his arms and jumping around. "Flap flap, flutter flutter, flutter flutter, flap flap!" He said. </p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     "We've gotta save Mr. Agreste!" Ladybug said as the three heroes walked up to the red door leading to the studio. They watched the TVs to see Simon Says smirk at the camera and pull out his deck of cards. "Tomorrow, Butterfly, you will be no more." He said, and Hummingbird frowned as she the heroes got into a defensive fighting stance. "The akuma's gotta be in one of those cards." She said, and Chat Noir frowned. "But which one? There are so many of'em." The blond reminded, and Ladybug let out a small grunt as she took a step back. </p>
  <p>     The bluenette kicked open the doors of the studio and the three heroes ran inside. Simon Says looked at them with an evil grin. "Hummingbird, Ladybug, Chat Noir, you can save him by giving me your Miraculouses. Do the right thing..." He told them, and Ladybug gave him a huff. "In your dreams. Lucky Charm!" Out of the superpower, a yo-yo fell into the bluenette's hands. "A regular yo-yo? But you've got a magical one!" Chat Noir complained, and Ladybug huffed as she put it away. "I'll figure it out later."</p>
  <p>     "Simon says... your yo-yo is useless!" The purple villain threw a card at Ladybug's yo-yo, causing it to fall to the floor. Ladybug tried to use it again, but instead the toy's cord snapped. Chat Noir pulled out his staff and began to ran towards the purple man. "Simon says... your stick is—" Before he could finish his sentence, Chat Noir smacked the card out of his hand with the staff. "Useless? I don't think so. I'm not gonna let you get a word in edgewise!" The blond hero began to fight Simon Says while Ladybug and Hummingbird dropped to the floor to rip up the cards to see if the akuma was in one of them.</p>
  <p>     "Simon says..." The villian started as he picked up a card. "Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na-na-na." Chat Noir taunted, causing the man to growl. "It doesn't matter whether you can hear me or not, all that is important is what Simon says! Simon says remove your Miraculous and give it to me!" The man threw a wave of cards towards the heroes, and Hummingbird gasped as she went to push Ladybug to the ground. Hummingbird watched the cards whiz past them, and her face began to heat up when she made eye contact with Ladybug underneath her. Hummingbird gave the bluenette an awkward smile, and Ladybug looked at her in confusion as Gabriel continued to mutter in the background. "...Flap, flutter, flutter, flap..."</p>
  <p>     "Simon says... take off like an airplane!" Simon threw a card with an airplane symbol on it, and Gabriel immediately ran out the room making airplane noises. "He's headed for the roof. We got to stop him." Chat Noir began to run after him, Ladybug stopped him by grabbing onto the leather belt tail. "This is our last chance to capture the akuma and I can't do it alone! If we free Simon Says, we free Mr. Agreste too!"</p>
  <p>     "You guys do that. I'll go after Mr. Agreste." Hummingbird followed Gabriel into the stairwell and watched the older man push open the roof door with his torso. <em>How'd he get up there so fast?</em> Hummingbird was quick to sprint up the stairs, and her heart skipped a beat when she watched the man walk up onto the the roof's ledge. "No! Speeding Hum!" Hummingbird screamed as he jumped, and time slowed down as Gabriel stopped in midair. "That was way too close." She whispered to herself as she ran to the edge and pulled Gabriel back onto the roof. She sighed in relief as she slid to the ground, and time soon returned to normal. </p>
  <p>     Gabriel was still hypnotized, so he rapidly stood back up and walked back to the ledge. Hummingbird panicked as she grabbed the older man by the waist and tried to pull him back. "Hurry up, Ladybug!" She grunted as Gabriel tried to kick himself free. Not too long after, ladybugs flew through the air, and Hummingbird let out another relieved sigh as Gabriel stopped thrashing. "I— I don't know what to say." He said as the heroine let go of him, and she subtly rolled her eyes. "Well, considering you would've been a splat on the ground, a simple thank you would suffice." She muttered.</p>
  <p>     Gabriel looked at her intensely as he hummed in thought. "You don't like me, do you?" He asked her, and Hummingbird stayed silent as she made eye contact with the older man. She didn't get the chance to respond since Chat Noir slammed open the roof door and ran up to her. "Hummingbird! Are you guys okay?" He asked, Ladybug following closely. Hummingbird gave him a nod and a small smile. She timidly held out her fist, causing Ladybug and Chat Noir to beam. "Pound it!" The heroes yelled as they shared a fist bump, and Ladybug gave the heroine a grin. "Thank you, Hummingbird, for helping us today."</p>
  <p>     "Ah, no it's fine. I didn't really do much..." Hummingbird shrugged, but Chat Noir shook his head. "Of course you did! You should do this with us again more often." He smirked as he put his arm around Ladybug's shoulder. The bluenette rolled her eyes as all three of their Miraculouses beeped. "We better get out of here." Ladybug said as she shrugged the blond's arm off her shoulder.</p>
  <p>     "Like a cat on a hot tin roof. See you again soon, Mr. Agreste." Chat Noir smirked as he walked over to Gabriel to shake his hand. Hummingbird skeptically watched the older man intensely stare at the ring. Chat Noir let go of Gabriel's hand, showing signs of discomfort, as he turned to face the other two heroines. "And you, m'ladies." He said with a smirk, and he gave them a small bow before running off the roof. Ladybug gave Hummingbird a small wave before disappearing down the buildings, and Hummingbird made eye contact with Gabriel one last time before jumping off the rooftop.</p>
</div><hr/><p>     "I'm telling you Vinca, something about Mr. Agreste rubs me the wrong way." Y/n huffed as she rolled away from her laptop. The teal kwami, who was shoving Cheez-Itz and Goldfish into her mouth, hummed as she laid on the bed. "He's a dramatic guy that never goes outside, not even to his backyard. What wouldn't make you uneasy?" She mumbled, and Y/n let out a groan. "No, I mean, he wouldn't keep his eyes of me, Ladybug, and Chat. He's either a pedophile or knows our identities cause he wouldn't stop eyeing our... Miraculouses... Miraculi? You know what I mean."</p><p>     "If that's the case, I'd keep an eye on him. Very suspicious if you ask me." The kwami said through a full mouth of food, and Y/n halfheartedly rolled her eyes. "Thanks for stating the obvious." She mumbled as she turned back to the desk. She held the urge to yelp when a knock sounded on her balcony door. She peaked through the blinds to see Chat Noir smirking and leaning against the railing. Y/n opened it slightly and glared at the hero. "Dude, it's one A.M., what are you doing here?" She asked, and the blond entered the room with a strut. "I couldn't sleep, so I decided to visit my good old friend, Y/n."</p><p>     Y/n watched Vinca hide underneath the bed in the corner of her eye as Chat Noir sat down in Y/n's chair. "You were playing Minecraft?" Chat Noir said with amusement as he started to look around the world. Y/n started to blush with embarrassment as she closed the laptop and rolled the chair away from the desk. "Oi! What's the big idea? George and Skylar are sleeping down the hall! Why are you here?" She asked in a whisper, and Chat Noir smiled at her as he pulled out her phone and a small black box from out of his pocket. "I realized we haven't talked in a while after I saw you during the akuma attack today. Your friends were worried about you, y'know. Not your smartest choice to try to chase Simon."</p><p>     "Yeah, sorry about that. I was just trying to help. Good thing Hummingbird knocked some sense into me." Y/n mumbled, and Chat Noir hummed in agreement. "Yeah, she's pretty cool." He mumbled with a small smile, and Y/n looked at him with slight confusion. "How'd you get my phone? I thought it fell with Nino?" She genuinely asked, and Chat Noir looked at her with panic before shrugging. "Uh— Your friend Nino left it at Adrien's house. I was patrolling around the area just to make sure everything was alright and Adrien asked me to return it to you."</p><p>     "Right. So, uhm, what's in the box?" Y/n asked as she grabbed her phone, and Chat Noir perked up and smiled. "It's a present! For you!" He said as he handed the box to her, and Y/n looked at it with surprise. "Me?" The blond nodded and beamed. Y/n looked at it hesitantly and opened it. Inside was a small enamel pin of a sunflower. "A sunflower? What's the occasion?" Y/n smiled as she took the pin out of the box, and Chat Noir gave her a grin. "No occasion! Can't a guy give his friend a gift every once in a while?" He said, and quietly hummed. "I guess you're right." She mumbled. "Sunflowers are supposed to symbolize loyalty and adoration, so take this as a reminder that you got me wrapped around your finger." Chat Noir smirked, and Y/n rolled her eyes. </p><p>     "Pack it up, flirt. It's late." Y/n said with a small smile, and Chat Noir gave her joking frown. "What, no thank you? I was hoping you would give me a kiss in return." Chat Noir gave her a smirk and leaned closer to her, but Y/n rolled her eyes and pushed him away as a blush of embarrassment dusted her cheeks. "You're insane. You should find something better to do with your time than come here." She told him, and Chat Noir shrugged as he leaned into the chair. "Nah, I like hanging out with you." </p><p>     Y/n shook her head as she grabbed her backpack and placed the pin on the strap. She showed it to the blond hero and smiled. "There, is your ego happy? Now I'll get reminded by your stupid blond locks every time I go to school." Y/n told him, and Chat Noir beamed at the girl. His cheeks flushed as he bashfully rubbed the back of his head. "Hopefully you think of me even when you're not at school, right?" He cheekily told her, and Y/n held the urge to roll her eyes. "Now that's asking a bit too much."</p><p>     Chat Noir playfully rolled his eyes as he stood up from the chair and grabbed a handful of Cheez-Itz and Goldfish from the bowl on the bed. "I'll be on my way then." He said as he bowed to the girl. "Nice seeing you again, <em>chaton.</em>" Y/n told the blond as she walked him out to the balcony. "It's always a pleasure to see you, Y/n." Chat Noir winked at her, and Y/n halfheartedly rolled her eyes one last time. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. 'Til next time, Chat Noir." She waved as she closed the balcony door and watched the hero disappear over the skyline.</p><hr/><p>     "Welcome back to everyone's number one game show, The Challenge! Last week, our cool DJ friend Nino won the challenge. So, let's welcome him back again. Come on out, DJ Nino!" Y/n watched the show on the TV as she ate her cup of ramen noodles, Vinca sitting next to her eating an apple. The girl had just finished rehearsal, so she didn't get the chance to join Nino this time, but she and Vinca were supporting him on the couch in her living room. </p><p>     "So we upped the challenge for you tonight, Nino. You're gonna have to get three celebrities dancing instead of one! However, this time, you can choose your opponents." Alec told the boy, and Y/n watched him beam. "Oh, I've got this one in the bag. I'm gonna pick two buds I know won't let me down. Ladybug, Hummingbird, and Chat Noir!" Nino said, and Y/n froze. "Awwwwh, but my feet hurt! I was standing all day!" She whined as she chugged the rest of her ramen. Vinca gave her a smirk, and Y/n let out a tired sigh as she stood up, turning off the TV. "Vinca, let's fly."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hey guys!!!!!! im soooooo sorry it took so long to update. i got really stumped on how to go about this chapter, and i didnt want it to seemed rushed or sloppy so i took my time. im very proud of the outcome though! and i hope you guys like it too! please leave a comment or kudos if you did!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Kung Food</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"N/n!!!! I have great news!!!!" He told her as he waved his phone around. Y/n set down her script and walked up to her uncle. The phone was open to an email sent by Alya's mom. The subject was titled World's Greatest Chef. "Isn't that that one cooking contest with Alec as the host?" Y/n asked, and George happily nodded. "They're filming the last episode next week on Saturday, here! In Le Grand Paris! Marlena said I was invited on set, mostly to help set up the kitchen, but still! She says I can bring one guest. Do you want to come?"</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chinese translations-</p><p>你将交给上的菜: The dish you will be offering<br/>谢谢: Thank you</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     "Mr. Robinson, you didn't hear this from me, but I think it was Miss Caroline." Y/n recited the lines as she rubbed her temples, and Vinca sat on the desk, reading the script. "Wrong." The kwami told her, and Y/n looked at her with furrowed brows. "What? What do you mean 'wrong'?" She asked as grabbed the script and read the highlighted words. "See? It says 'I'm pretty sure it was Miss Caroline', not 'I think it was'." Vinca pointed out, and the girl rolled her eyes. "Now you're just being nitpicky. As long as I have the general idea of the sentence it should be fine."</p><p>     Vinca shrugged and went to grab the script, but a knock on the door alerted her and she hid behind the full length mirror next to the desk. "Come in!" Y/n replied, and George ran into the room with a grin. "N/n!!!! I have great news!!!!" He told her as he waved his phone around. Y/n set down her script and walked up to her uncle. The phone was open to an email sent by Alya's mom. The subject was titled World's Greatest Chef. "Isn't that that one cooking contest with Alec as the host?" Y/n asked, and George happily nodded.</p><p>     "They're filming the last episode next week on Saturday, here! In Le Grand Paris! Marlena said I was invited on set, mostly to help set up the kitchen, but still! She says I can bring one guest. Do you want to come?" Y/n frowned at her uncle's question as she grabbed her agenda out of her backpack. "What time? I have morning rehearsal from nine to eleven. We're gonna run a couple scenes and try on our costumes." The girl told the man, and George frowned.</p><p>     "Well, I have to be there early to set up at ten, but they're gonna start filming at around twelve. Do you think that'll be enough time to make it to the hotel?" He asked, and Y/n nodded. "Yeah, but I'll have to take the taxi instead of the metro." She told George, and the man smiled as he ruffled the girl's hair. "Remind me to give you some money for the ride. I'll let you keep doing your lines. Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes." George waved at Y/n and walked out of the room as he closed the door behind him. Vinca flew out from behind the mirror and huffed. "When are we going to finish? I want some food."</p><hr/><p>     "Hi, I'm here as George L/n's plus one." Y/n mumbled as she grabbed her approached the back door. As she went to grab her entrance badge from her backpack, she smiled at Vinca, who was playing on Y/n's phone, and she showed the lanyard to the bodyguard. The tall, buff man flipped through his papers, checking for George's name, and let the girl in at the sight of it. "They're going to begin filming as soon as Wang Cheng pulls up to the red carpet. Make sure to stay out of the camera's way." The man reminded the girl as Y/n grateful nodded and walked inside. </p><p>     Y/n walked around the hotel entrance admiring the entrance hall. A couple weeks ago her class had to work around the hotel, and Y/n worked as room service. That same day they had an akuma attack by a man named Pixelator. Y/n helped her classmates hide and stay safe as herself instead of Hummingbird. A group of people walked past her with cameras and mics. Y/n looked theough the glass door and watched Adrien's car pull up to the red carpet. The girl was surprised to see Marinette and her uncle walk out of the car with the blond boy.</p><p>     "Since our World's Greatest Chef contest kicked off, the best culinary masters from around the globe have been blowing our minds with their gastronomic creations." Alec spoke to his mic as the cameras followed the Chinese man up to the hotel. Mayor Bourgeois met him at the entrance with a smile. "Cheng Shifu, I am delighted and honored to have you on our final show, where you will have the chance to defeat all of the chefs who have competed thus far." </p><p>     The chef smiled as he nodded and he, Marinette, and Adrien walked into Le Grand Paris. "Only one will be awarded the title of World's Greatest Chef. The winner's dish will become the new Mayor's Special on the Grand Paris's menu! Tell us Cheng Shifu, what dish will you be honoring our panel with today?" Alec asked as he walked up to Wang, and the man looked at Adrien for a clearer translation. "你将交给上的菜." The blond explained, and Wang nodded as he looked back at Alec. "My dish is: Celestial soup."</p><p>     "Wow! I've heard so much about your legendary Celestial Soup, but today we'll actually get to taste it!" Alec smiled, and the camera turned off. The man gave Wang a reassuring pat on the back as the crew left to prepare for the next broadcast. "Would you like me to come with you, Cheng Shifu?" Adrien asked, and the chinese man shook his head. "No thank you Adrien. Cooking needs no words." He told the blond, and Adrien nodded as Alec led Wang to the elevators.</p><p>     "Thanks, Adrien. I'm totally sorry for bothering you for nothing. I really thought he couldn't speak English." Marinette thanked the blond, and Adrien smiled. "No problem Marinette. It was awesome to be able to practice my Chinese, especially with a Shifu." He told her, but Marinette looked at him in confusion. "A Shifu?" She asked, and Adrien nodded. "That means Master in Chinese. Your uncle is a great master!" He told her, and Marinette smiled softly. "Hey guys!" Y/n waved as she walked up to her friends.</p><p>     "Y/n!" Marinette beamed as she threw her hands around the girl's shoulders. Y/n's cheeks turned to a soft pink as she hugged the bluenette back, missing the small pout of jealousy from Adrien. "What are you doing here?" Marinette asked as she let go of her friend. "My uncle works here so he got me a pass to hang out backstage. I didn't know your uncle was Wang Cheng!" Marinette sheepishly smiled, but before she could respond, Chloé walked up to them.</p><p>     "Oh look who it is! My favorite person, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I mean, seriously? Does your great-uncle really expect to win the contest with a SOUP!? It's not even a main dish! Please! Doesn't he know how to make sushi like everyone else?" The group of three glared at Chloé as she crossed her arms. "<em>Japanese</em> people make sushi, Chloé. Cheng Shifu is Chinese." Adrien explained as Y/n nodded. "Besides, he's not like everyone else. My Great Uncle is the best chef in the world. His soup is legendary!" Marinette defended, and Chloé rolled her eyes. </p><p>     "Well, I despise soup." She told them, and Y/n scoffed. "Does it look like we care?" She muttered, and Chloé glared at her. "Didn't you know? I'm on the jury. Your uncle will not be getting my vote, for sure." The blonde smirked, and Marinette turned a bright shade of pink as she took a step closer to Chloé. "Oh yeah? Well, he doesn't need your vote to win! There are other judges with much better taste than yours. Huh, silly me, you don't have any taste! I mean, look at what you're wearing." Marinette roasted, and Y/n looked at the bluenette with shock and amusement. </p><p>     "Ew! Don't talk about me like that. You've made a big mistake." Chloé huffed as she stomped towards the stairs. Y/n beamed at Marinette and Adrien smiled. "Wow, you really stood up for Cheng Shifu. He would've appreciated that." He told her, but Marinette gave him a small frown. "I'm not sure. I don't think he likes me." She mumbled, and Adrien looked at her in confusion. "Oh no, you're wrong." He told her, but Marinette shook her head. "No, I swear! He even ripped up the bouquet I gave him."</p><p>     "Cheng Shifu isn't just a chef, Marinette, he's an artist! He told me he was gonna put flowers in his Celestial Soup. He said he improvises on faithful things that come his way. The flowers he mentioned must be the ones you gave him!" Adrien beamed, but Marinette looked at him hesitantly. "So... you think he actually likes me?" She asked, and Adrien reassuringly put his hands on her shoudlers. "Totally! He's shown you great respect in his own special way." He smiled, and Marinette quietly sighed happily.</p><p>     Y/n bit her lip as she watched the two interact. <em>I feel like I'm intruding...</em> "Uhm... Do you guys want to go on the roof while Marinette's uncle cooks? It should take about thirty-ish minutes." The girl proposed, and Adrien turned to her with a smile. "Sounds good to me! You coming Marinette?" He asked, and the bluenette in question blushed and nodded. Y/n held back the urge to roll her eyes as the three of them walked over to the elevators. The three stood in somewhat awkward silence as the elevators went to the top floor. </p><p>     "So, uhm... Did you guys finish Ms. Bustier's homework?" Y/n asked as she set her backpack onto the floor and they sat down on the pool chairs. "Ohhh, shoot! I totally forgot!" Marinette mumbled as she smacked her forehead. Y/n smiled at the bluenette as Adrien laughed. Marinette turned a bright pink as she looked down at her feet and Y/n laid down on the chair. "No worries, it's not that hard. Just one double sided page about the last poetry book we read." The girl reassured as she looked up to the sky. </p><p>     "I feel like this week's poetry was a lot easier than last week's. That one had too many metaphors for my liking." Adrien shrugged, and Y/n hummed in disagreement. "Speak for yourself, Agreste. I'm a metaphor connoisseur." She told him with a smile, and Marinette smiled. "Sorry Y/n, I agree with Adrien. Metaphors get too confusing sometimes." The bluenette contributed, and Y/n sighed. "Sometimes, it's the best way to explain something. Makes stuff easier to comprehend."</p><p>     "But if you don't elaborate, the meaning gets lost. See where we're coming from?" Adrien told her, causing Y/n to softly nod. "I guess I never thought of it that way." She mumbled, and the teens fell into a comfortable silence as they watched the clouds pass them by. They stayed like that for a long time, content with the atmosphere, until Marinette sat up with furrowed brows. "Hey, Y/n? Can I ask you something?" She mumbled, and Y/n looked at her in confusion. "Yeah what's up?" </p><p>     "Are you doing okay? Like, I know you're in the drama club, but I feel like you've been stressing over something since you're always busy whenever Alya and I ask to hang out." The bluenette asked, and Y/n's eyes went wide as Adrien looked at the girls in confusion. "Yeah, come to think of it, you can never come hang out with me and Nino anymore. I always thought it was because you were hanging out with Marinette and Alya."</p><p>     "Uh..." Y/n bit her lip as she avoided eye contact with the two. See, she never told any of her friends that she was in the play. At first, it just never came up in conversation, so Y/n never felt the need to bring it up. But at some point, Y/n realized how disappointing and wasteful it'd be to have her friends watch her stand in the background with a tea set and a maid costume, so she'd thought it'd be for the best. "You see... Uhm. I actually—"</p><p>     Thankfully, the girl was cut off by a crew member opening the door to the stairs with an exasperated look on his face. "Cheng Shifu is plating, so I'd start heading down now if you want to see his scores." He said before walking back inside. Y/n took that as an opportunity to grab her backpack and book it to the door. "Come on! We don't wanna miss it!" She called out to her friends as she ran inside. Adrien and Marinette looked at each other in confusion before following the girl in. </p><p>     Y/n managed to avoid any more questions by scrolling through her phone as she walked. Adrien and Marinette walked closely behind her, suspicious as to what the girl was hiding. As they made it into the dining area, Y/n watched as five people, her uncle being one of them, brought out the bowls from the kitchen an onto the table with all the judges. They quietly chatted to himself as Alex walked up to one of the cameras on the side. "And, we're live." The cameraman whispered, and Alec smiled as he brought the microphone up to his face.</p><p>     "As usual, our panel of gourmets is made up of André Bourgeois, the mayor of Paris and owner of this luxury hotel, his daughter Chloé, representing the younger generation, hot rockstar Jagged Stone and his killer crocodile Fang, and finally, the divine head chef of this very hotel, Marlena Césaire, and yours truly: Alec! It's time to determine the fate of Cheng Shifu's famous Celestial Soup. Let's get tasting!" Alec gave his microphone to a crew member as he sat down and the end if the table.</p><p>     Everyone watched with anticipation as the judges took a sip from their spoon, except for Chloé, who was just twirling her spoon inside the soup. "What <em>is</em> this!?" Alec asked as he spit out the soup. Everyone gasped at his reaction and waited for the judges to elaborate. "Uh, I don't think this soup would fare well with our guests! I'll give it a three out of ten." André awkwardly pushed the plate away from him and pulled up the plate with the rating. "Seeing as it's pretty unappetizing, maybe I'll pass on the tasting, but I'll still give it a zero!" Chloé said with a smirk, and Y/n glared at the cocky blonde.</p><p>     "Ech! It's like kissing a member from the Zombeats! Negative zero." Jagged Stone said with a huff, and Alya's mom looked at it hesitantly before frowninv at Wang. "I'm sorry, but it's inedible. I give it one out of ten." She said as she held out the plate. Wang stood there in confusion as he processed what had just happened. He walked over to Chloé's soup, tasted it, then spit it out. "Uch! I don't understand, I never put these ingredients in. It's a mistake. Someone sabotaged soup!"</p><p>     Marlena and Jagged glanced at each other with worry as Chloé smugly smiled. "I'm sorry, Cheng Shifu, but I'm giving you a zero, too, which brings your score to point eight out of ten, the lowest so far. Celestial Soup will therefore not be in the hotel's menu this year, and you will not be named World's Greatest Chef!" Alec told the man as he walked up to him. Wang stood there in confusion and Y/n watched the smirking Chloé stand up and walk away. Y/n held in a gasp as a flower petal fell from off her jacket as she stood up. </p><p>     "I don't know about you guys, but this doesn't seem right to me. And I'm certain Chloé's got something to do with it." Y/n told her friends with a frown as they watched Chloé walk out of the room. Adrien let out a quietly sigh before running his hand through his hair. "I'd like to say you're wrong, but I know her only too well." He mumbled, and Marinette frowned as she walked up to her uncle. "Uncle Cheng? I'm sure it's not your fault. In fact, I know it's not. I'm pretty sure Chloé's behind this. It was actually because of me. I provoked her, and—"</p><p>     "Shame is on Celestial Soup. I shall never be World's Greatest Chef!" The chef declared as he walked to the kitchen gloomily. "No! Uncle Cheng!" Marinette called out, but Adrien stood next to her and frowned. "It's horrible to lose face in China. We'll wait for him downstairs." He told her, and she gave him a small nod. Y/n comfortingly placed an arm around Marinette as the three began to walk out of the room. "I can't stand Chloé." Y/n mumbled as they entered the elevator.</p><p>     The girl let go of Marinette as they walked inside and Adrien pressed the button to the main floor. The blond frowned at Y/n's words but decided to keep quiet. The elevator ride was silent as Marinette stood there guiltily. Y/n noticed the bluenette's distress and she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You did nothing wrong, Marinette. In fact, you did the right thing standing up for Cheng Shifu. This is all Chloé's fault, we'll find a way to give your uncle a second chance." The girl reassured.</p><p>     Marinette gave Y/n a small smile and squeezed her hand as the elevator doors opened. The three walked out into the lobby and stood next to a table. The silence was thick as the people around them continued to chatter. Marinette was still upset, and Y/n and Adrien were still mad at Chloé. Ten minutes passed, and there was still no sign of Wang coming down from the kitchen. "Do you think he's okay?" Y/n asked, and Adrien shrugged. Marinette stared at the stairs as a pair of running footsteps echoed. Adrien and Y/n looked at the stairs and watched as a cameraman ran down and panted. </p><p>     "Get out! Hurry! Get out while you still can!" He screamed as he ran out the front doors. The three looked at his retreating figure in confusion as a flying dumpling flew up to the teens and projected a video of a man from it's eye. "Not polite to leave table without permission. Cut off all exits!" The group looked around in worry, and a brown, translucent goo covered the doors. Y/n tried to push open the doors as Adrien bent down and poked the goo.</p><p>     "What's that?" Marinette asked as Adrien picked some of it up with his finger. "Caramel?" He mumbled to himself. "Adrien! You can't put random stuff in your mouth like that." Y/n yelled at him, flabbergasted as he stuck it into his mouth. She shook her head at his dumb choice as Adrien hummed in satisfaction. "No, I'm okay! It might taste good but it's totally indestructible. Looks like we're trapped inside."</p><p>     "My great uncle is still upstairs!" Marinette gasped, and Adrien smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'll find him." He reassured, and Marinette nervously smiled. "Thanks. I'll... look for a way out of here..." She said, and Y/n pointed to the reception desk. "I'll go see if I can get help." She said, and Adrien nodded as he ran up the stairs. Another dumpling flew by and projected the same man from earlier.</p><p>     "You want to taste Kung Food's soup. Everybody become my servants, and Kung Food become World's Greatest Chef! Hahahaha!" The man cackled, and the two girls gasped in realization. "Uncle?" Marinette mumbled to herself as Y/n frowned. "Go find a way out if here, Marinette. I'll see if I can contact Ladybug and help your uncle out." She told the bluenette, and Marinette looked at her with worry. "Please stay safe, Y/n." She said, and Y/n nodded to her. Marinette gave her a small smile ran off, and Y/n ran over to the empty desk.</p><p>     "What are you doing?" Vinca asked from the bag as Y/n hid under the desk. The girl took off her mini backpack and opened with a frown. "What do you mean? Hiding for my safety." Y/n muttered, and the teal kwami rolled her eyes. "I don't know, I thought you'd help the two out with this akuma." Vinca mumbled, and Y/n felt guilt rise in her as she shook her head. "I need to cover for them. What do you think would happen if Marinette, Adrien, <em>and</em> Y/n went missing as soon as the superheroes showed up? At least I can make up excuses for them, because we both know how bad they are on doing that for themselves."</p><p>     Before Vinca could reply, Y/n closed the backpack at the sound of footsteps and she peeked over the desk. "Chat Noir?" Ladybug said as the heroes met at the center of the lobby. "Ladybug! Have you seen any civilians around here by any chance? Specifically two girls." The blond hero asked, and Ladybug nervously laughed. "Uh... No? Wh–Why do you ask?" The bluenette heroine averted eye contact as Chat Noir looked around the room. Y/n took that as a sign to pop out from behind the desk and smile at the heroes. "Ladybug and Chat Noir!" </p><p>     "Y/n! Are you okay? Why are you all by yourself? You're not hurt are you?" Chat Noir asked as he ran up to the girl and inspected her face. Y/n softly pushed him away and lightheartedly rolled her eyes. "I'm fine Chat. Adrien left to find Cheng Shifu and Marinette left to find an exit. I tried calling Ladybug off the desk, but I couldn't figure out how to work the phone so I hid." Chat Noir let out a quiet sigh of relief as Ladybug walked up to the two, baffled. "Wait, what? You two <em>actually</em> know each other?"</p><p>     "Yeah? I thought I made that clear during the Horrificator akuma a while back. Did I not?" The blond looked at Ladybug with confusion, and the bluenette shook her head. "No? Do you not realize how dangerous and irresponsible it is to be friends with a civilian is? Please don't tell me she knows your secret identity. I told you, the safety of our people come first." Ladybug scolded, and Chat Noir gave her an amused smirk as he wrapped his arm around Y/n's shoulders. "Relax, LB. She doesn't know who I am, and I've got this under control. There's nothing wrong with being friends with someone. Don't tell me you're getting jealous."</p><p>     "If it makes you feel any better, I couldn't shake him off even if I tried, and believe me, I've tried." Y/n sheepishly smiled at the heroine as she shrugged Chat Noir's arm off her shoulder. The blond pouted as Ladybug let out an exasperated sigh. "We'll talk about this later, Chat. For now, let's focus on the akuma." Ladybug began walking towards the elevators, but Chat Noir frowned and grabbed her arm. "Wait! We can't just leave her here." He told the heroine as he pointed to Y/n. </p><p>     "What do you mean? Of course we can." Ladybug furrowed her brows as he haced the hero and shrugged his hand off. "I don't want her getting hurt. What if that guy comes after her?" Chat Noir defended as Ladybug crossed her arms. "Seriously, Chat? You're arguing with me about this? We can't possibly bring her along, we need to focus on getting King Food's akuma." Y/n but her lip as the heroes discussed and she pointed back to the desk. "I can hold my own ground. I don't want to stall you guys on catching the akuma." </p><p>     "Besides, she'd be safer here rather than us dragging her towards the action." Ladybug told Chat Noir, but the blond hero shook his head. "We're taking her with us, end of discussion." The blond huffed, and Ladybug let out a small groan. "Chat, seriously. Kung Food doesn't even have a reason for going after me. I'll be fine here." Y/n mumbled to the hero, but Chat Noir hummed in thought before shaking his head again. "You're talking to us right? He could kidnap you and use you as bait to save either you or Chloé. It's best to take you with us."</p><p>     "Why are you so stubborn? Fine, we'll take her with us, but we need to go <em>now,</em> Chat Noir." Ladybug said with a quiet huff. Chat Noir beamed as he wrapped his arms around her and Y/n. "Great! Well, I don't know about you, m'lady, but I'm a bit hungry." He smirked, and Ladybug halfheartedly rolled her eyes as she shrugged Chat Noir's arm off her. "Let's go eat then. Shall we?" Ladybug smirked as the three ran over to the elevators. Y/n watched as Chat Noir spammed the button in frustration. "Ugh! It's jammed!"</p><p>     Then, another dumpling flew towards them and projected the akumatized man. "Ladybug! Chat Noir! You soon have privilege to be ingredients in Kung Food's soup. But first, you taste my special of the day!" Suddenly, the elevator door opened to a Jagged Stone with weirdly orange eyes. "Seafood appetizers." He smirked as he held out the sword made out of seafood. "Jagged Stone!" Ladybug exclaimed, and Y/n slowly took a step back, realizing they were probably going to fight. </p><p>     "Seafood? This scampi happening. Let's see if you can carry a tuna!" Chat Noir grinned at his puns, and Ladybug deadpanned at him before looking back at Jagged Stone. "Look out!" The bluenette exclaimed, and the two heroes jumped backwards as the rockstar swung his sword at him. "That's not very rock and roll of you, Jagged Stone." Chat Noir joked, and the man stood up straight with a smirk. "Rock is one thing, soup is another. When I'm done with you, you'll be nothing but minced meat!"</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>    Y/n watched the fight unfold as she hid behind a chair. Jagged Stone broke the table they were stabding on and the two heroes dodged it. Then, Chat Noir charged at him from above, giving Ladybug the opportunity to slide underneath Jagged and tie his leg up with the yo-yo. <em>I knew their dynamic was good, but I didn't know it was </em>this<em> good.</em> Ladybug then spun Jagged around and launched him into a supply closet. Chat Noir quickly shut the door and Y/n slid them the chair she was hiding behind.</p>
  <p>     Ladybug propped it on the door and the two heroes fist bumped. "Good job." Chat Noir said with a smile. "There's no time to lose! Chloé might just be the main dish! And we better not wait to find out!" Ladybug urgently yelled as she ran towards the elevators. "Ugh, get me outta here! Come on, then!" Jagged Stone banged against the closet door and Y/n gave it one last look before going inside the elevator and standing behind the gwo heroes. </p>
  <p>     "Ladybug, come on. It's just you and me together. We could go places." Chat Noir flirted as he stood closer to Ladybug. Y/n watched awkwardly as the heroine rolled her eyes and pushed him back. "Uh, yeah. Like up." She muttered, and Chat Noir smiled. "Exactly! We've got nowhere to go but up!" He exclaimed, but suddenly, everyone yelped as the elevator short circuited. "You spoke too soon!" Ladybug told him as Chat Noir spammed the buttons. "I think the electricity between us short-circuited the elevator."</p>
  <p>     "You wish. More like us getting ourselves into a sticky situation." Ladybug told him as the elevator doors began to open. Y/n hid in the corner as the heroes were met with Mayor Bourgeois holding a mace made out of sausages and potatoes. "Royal hotpot with its giant string of smoked sausages!" He smirked as he began to swing it around. "Looks like a food fight is coming our way." Ladybug told Chat Noir as they got into a fighting stance and the blond cockily smiled. "I prefer my sausages with mashed potatoes."</p>
  <p>     The heroes went to charge at the older man, and Mayor Bourgeois flinged the heroes into a hotel suite. Y/n quietly followed as Mayor Bourgeois evilly smiled at the heroes. "Welcome to the world famous Suite 36 of this hotel." He told them as they stood up. "If we're not careful, we'll be the mashed potatoes!" Ladybug told Chat Noir as they went back into a fighting stance. "You're no competition, Ladybug." The mayor told her before charging at them. He managed to wrap his weapon around Chat Noir's hand, trapping him, and right before the mayor grabbed his Miraculous, Ladybug caught his attention.</p>
  <p>     "You've got the wrong superhero, Bourgeois! I bet you don't know how to do this." Ladybug then proceeded to do a move with her yo-yo, finishing by throwing it up in the air and catching it. Mayor Bourgeois let out a scoff. " Really, Ladybug?" He then copied the move, but his weapon got caught on the chandelier. As the older man tried to yank it down, the chandelier fell on top of him, trapping him on the floor. "Nice work, my lady. Shall we go and find the head chef?" Chat Noir said as he pointed to the hole on the ceiling.</p>
  <p>     Ladybug nodded and Chat Noir looked around for Y/n. The girl walked into the room and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "Chat, I don't know if I should keep tagging along—" The hero cut her off by shaking his head and wrapping an arm around her waist. "You're safer with us, trust me." He then extended his staff and used it to land on the second floor as Ladybug wrapped her yo-yo around a chandelier and hoisted herself up. "We're almost there." She reassured as Chat Noir let go of Y/n. "Great. All this fighting has made me hungry!" The blond hero smirked.</p>
  <p>     Soon enough, another dumpling flew up to them and projected a video of Kung Food. "Kung Food is generous. No need to choose between cheese and dessert, you get to have both!" The villain laughed, and Y/n hid underneath a table as the elevator bell rang. Alec and Marlena stepped out from it, holding a slingshot cheese gun and a macaron bow and candy cane arrows respectively. <em>Wow, Alya's mom really came for my brand.</em> "Watch the spectacular demonstration of the famous thousand flying cakes!" Alec exclaimed as he loaded the slingshot. </p>
  <p>     Marlena charged at the heroes, throwing arrows at them as quickly as she could, but the two heroes dodged them all. "Oh ho! Our guests seem to have a few tricks up their sleeve, but how will they fare against the blinding stinging cheese bombs!" Alec smirked as he started shooting cheese at the heroes. Y/n bit her lip as she discreetly began to crawl towards the kitchen door as the fight continued. Ladybug managed to dodge the cheese, but Chat Noir tried to smack it away, resulting in the stink bomb going everywhere. "Ow, he's right. The cheese really does sting your eyes." Y/n heard Chat Noir say before sliding into the kitchen.</p>
  <p>     She let out a sigh as she blocked the doors and took off her backpack. "So what's the plan?" Vinca asked as she unzipped the back. Y/n looked at the kwami as she worriedly bit her lip. "I ... I don't know." She mumbled, and Vinca looked at her with confusion. "What? What do you mean?" She said as she flew out of the bag. "It's just... I shouldn't. I set the rules to stay out of akuma attacks and here I am, always coming back. You see how they work together, it's so... flawless, in a way. I feel awful intruding. They're supposed to be the heroes, not me. I'm just your friendly neighborhood... Hummingbird."</p>
  <p>     "Y/n, it doesn't matter who gets the brag rights at the end of the day. You're a hero too. I understand that you feel the need to take a step back, but your responsibilities should put some things over the other. You're worried about all the Miraculous getting captured? Right now, the biggest concern is making sure Chloé doesn't get boiled alive. Do the right thing, Y/n. Don't let this paranoia and lack of confidence get in the way of helping others." Vinca told Y/n as the girl ran her fingers through her hair.</p>
  <p>     "You're right, it's just... I'm scared of going backwards with Ladybug? Before you say anything, I know how stupid this sounds. I just want to be on good terms with her, but I feel like one wrong move will send us back to square one. I shouldn't worry so much over this, it's silly, but considering she's part of the reason I have a Miraculous in the first place, apart of me feels like this is necessary." Y/n sighed and Vinca frowned as she sat on the girl's knee. "I understand where you're coming from, but remember, you have priorities.. Don't let your feelings get in the way."</p>
  <p>     Y/n sat there for a couple of seconds before standing up straight. "Alright then. Vinca, let's fly!" Y/n yelled, and the kwami smiled before getting sucked in to the necklace. Hummingbird let out a deep sigh before running to the service elevator and using it to go to the top floor. From there, she ran up the stairs and quietly opened the door to be met with the chinese man standing proudly at the foot of the pool, which was now filled with soup.</p>
  <p>     "Ah, temperature's just right. Time to add main ingredient!" Kung Food exclaimed, and he lowered a crank to make Chloé start going down. "Oh, no no no no noooo! Ah!" The blonde screamed as she was reeled closer to the pool. Hummingbird took that as her que to jump out from behind the door. She shot and arrow at the rope holding Chloé and ran to the edge of the pool. The blonde began to fall and she let out a piercing shriek. "Speeding Hum!" Hummingbird yelled before Kung Food could react and she put her bow away. Time slowed as Hummingbird took a deep breath and jumped across the pool.</p>
  <p>     She wrapped her arms around Chloé, who was in midair, and she landed in the other side of the pool, successfully dodging the boiling soup beneath her. Time went back to speed, and Hummingbird turned around to face Kung Food as Chloé continued to scream. "Hey blondie! It'd be nice if you didn't burst my eardrums." Hummingbird muttered as the blonde girl looked at the heroine in surprise. "Hummingbird? When did you get here? And what took you so long!? Just wait until I tell everyone—"</p>
  <p>     "Oops." Hummingbird shrugged as she dropped Chloé to the floor. The blonde let out a yelp, and Hummingbird pulled out her bow and aimed it at Kung Food. Suddenly, Ladybug and Chat Noir burst through the door and looked at Hummingbird in surprise. "Hummingbird?" Ladybug questioned, and the heroine smirked at her. "Thought I could give you guys a hand." She told the bluenette as she nodded her head towards Chloé, and Chat Noir cockily smiled. "Don't you mean a wing?"</p>
  <p>     Hummingbird rolled her eyes at the joke, and their attention was turned back to the villian as he let out a groan. "Oh no! My Brat Soup will be so flavorless." Kung Food complained, and the heroes all got in a fighting stance. "I know you're more honorable than this, Cheng Shifu!" Ladybug called out to him, and the chinese man shook his head. "I am not Cheng Shifu, I am Kung Food: the Greatest Chef in the World! And nobody will stop me from finishing my Brat Soup!" He pulled out a weapon from his bag and Hummingbird frowned.</p>
  <p>     "I'll get Chloé to safety." The heroine said as she picked the girl up. Ladybug and Chat Noir nodded as Chloé let out a small yelp. "Wh-What are you doing?!" Chloé asked before letting out a scream. Hummingbird jumped off the roof and landed on another building. Hummingbird continued to run until they were a good few blocks away from the hotel. The heroine rolled her eyes at the screaming girl as they finally landed, and she set the blonde down not so softly.</p>
  <p>   "Ow! What is your problem?!" Chloé screamed as she dusted herself off. Hummingbird softly scoffed as she ignored the stuck up girl. <em>I'm not going to snap. I'm not going to snap. I'm not going to—</em> "You are by far the <em>worst</em> hero I've ever seen." Chloé mumbled, and Hummingbird turned to her with a glare. "<em>Excuse me?</em> Why? Because I'm not always at your corner, waiting for when it's time to save you? I hate to break it to you, Miss Conceited Bourgeois, but the world doesn't revolve around you. You wanna play the victim? Tell that the the hundreds of people you've belittled. I'm sure the people you've pushed over the edge to get akumatized will have a field day with that one!"</p>
  <p>     Chloé looked at Hummingbird in shock, her face turning red out of embarrassment and anger. "Why you little—! Who do you think you are?" The blonde raged with a pout, and Hummingbird shook her head and frowned. "Brave enough to tell you how it is! You are not the center of the universe. You're just another bratty rich girl who thinks you're entitled and on top of the world! At the end of the day you're just a whiny little narcissist begging for attention. News flash! We aren't your father. Your crying and manipulating won't lead you anywhere. Maybe if you didn't act like such a heartless jerk all the time people would actually tolerate you!"</p>
  <p>     Hummingbird let out a couple of huffs at the end of her rant, and she turned to face Chloé, who had tears streaming down her face. "Screw you, Hummingbird! What makes you think you know my life's story? Fine then! I'll admit it! I <em>am</em> a little narcissistic and I <em>am</em> a bit of a brat, but that's because I grew up alone with butlers in a giant hotel instead of my parents because my dad was taking care of Paris and my mom was in another country! All they did was throw money my way and had me be babysat by Jean-Simone, or whatever his name is! I don't know basic human decency because I was never taught them!</p>
  <p>     "I was shown that being a whiny brat was the only way to get attention, so that's my way of getting by! I want to change, I feel awful for every problem I've caused, but I don't know how. I don't care if the big cars or fancy clothes sounds like the dream, that's nothing compared to having close relationships with your family. I don't have parents like Marinette's, or other relatives like Y/n's. I'm alone, and it's all up to me to change, but I <em>don't know how!</em>" Chloé let down a sob as she harshly wiped away her tears. Hummingbird looked at the blonde girl, who's makeup was smudged everywhere, and she let out a quiet sigh. Hummingbird walked over to Chloé and hesitantly wrapped her arms around the blonde.</p>
  <p>     Chloé stood in place awkwardly before hesitantly giving the hero a hug back. <em>This girl has a lot more baggage than I thought...</em> Hummingbird tried to soothe the girl by rubbing her back a little, and Chloé finally stopped crying. "I'm sorry, Chloé. I shouldn't have said any of that." The heroine apologized as she let go of the blonde, and Chloé wiped away her tears before looking down at her feet, avoiding eye contact with the heroine.</p>
  <p>     Silence fell between the two as a swarm of ladybugs flew past them in the sky. Hummingbird stayed quiet and wrapped an arm around Chloé to take her home. As soon as the heroine landed on the balcony, Chloé jumped out of Hummingbird's arms. "Chloé, I really am sorry." The heroine whispered, and Chloé stood in place. The blonde hesitantly looked at the heroine before walking inside and closing the door with a slam. </p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     "Could you teach me how to make Celestial Soup, Cheng Shifu?" Marinette asked with a grin as she handed her uncle a bouquet of flowers. "With pleasure, Marinette." He told her as he took the bouquet. Y/n stood next to Adrien at the kitchen's door, and the blond boy smiled at them. "Cooking needs no words." He happily sighed, and Y/n nodded in agreement as she watched the two relatives cook. </p>
  <p>     "Seriously? Still making soup? I told you I hate soup! You think the jury is going to approve of this?" Chloé scoffed as she walked up to the two. Y/n turned to face her, and a part of her felt guilty as she saw Chloé's freshly done makeup and somber attitude. "Didn't your father kick you off the jury?" Y/n asked her with an eyebrow raised. She tried her best to keep her grudge against the blonde, but Y/n will never be able to see Chloé the same again with this newfound information. "No he didn't! I... er... I... resigned." The blonde said with a pout, and Adrien lightheartedly rolled his eyes. </p>
  <p>     "I think Cheng Shifu and Marinette have got this covered. Why don't we let the real jury decide?" Adrien smirked, and Chloé huffed and walked away with her nose high in the air. "Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!" She muttered, and Adrien sighed as he let out an awkward laugh. "That's Chloé for you." He mumbled, and Y/n softly nodded as she watched Chloé's retreating figure. Soon enough, Marinette and Wang Cheng began plating, so Adrien and Y/n walked to the judge's table. </p>
  <p>     The cameras started rolling, and Y/n was delighted when she saw that George took Chloé's place in between Mayor Bourgeois and Jagged Stone. As the judges tasted the new Celestial Soup, their face lit up and everyone gave it ten stars. "Cheng Shifu's delicious Celestial Soup has received the highest marks overall, making you the final winner!" Alec happily exclaimed as he threw his hands in the air. Everyone applauded as the judges ate more of the soup.</p>
  <p>     "Ah, and it will soon be the Mayor's Special on the restaurant menu of my prestigious hotel!" Mayor Bourgeois beamed, and Jagged Stone threw rockstar hands in the air. "Rock n' Roll! I can't wait to get home and write a song about soup!" He yelled while bopping his head. Wang Cheng bowed to the judges and looked at Marinette with a smile. "Thank you, but no longer Celestial Soup. Now called: Marinette Soup."</p>
  <p>     The bluenette looked at her uncle with surprise as Y/n excitedly pat the girl's shoulders. "谢谢!" Marinette beamed, and Wang Chang smiled back at her. "You're welcome." He said, and Alec motioned Marinette to come forward. "Come over here and stand alongside your uncle, the World's Greatest Chef!" The bluenette nodded and gave her uncle a hug. The cameras recorded and a few news reporters took pictures. Y/n cheerfully clapped, but a part of her still felt heavy after the day's events. </p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     "Good evening, Master Fu!" Y/n beamed as she walked into the store. Wayzz flew out of the room at the sound of the girl's voice as the short chinese man gave the girl a smile. "Y/n! What a pleasant surprise! I saw your uncle on the TV yesterday!" He said as walked out from behind the counter and led her to the back room. Vinca unzipped the mini backpack and reunited with Wayzz as Y/n set down a tupperware filled with sugar cookies. "I'll prepare the tea." Master Fu smiled as he walked into the kitchen.</p>
  <p>     Y/n sat at the table and watched the kwamis play as she bit her lip. "Hey Master Fu? I have a question." She said as she stood up and walked to the kitchen. "I may or may not have an answer." He replied as he set the kettle onto the stove. <em>I don't know what to do, how to get stronger for you. I want to be the best version of me, and the best version of Hummingbird, but I don't know if I can do both.</em> "...Uhm... How exactly do I practice to get better arrows? The last time I tried to summon a putty arrow, it turned to liquid..."</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AHDKAHKDJD my first day of school is in 3 hours and im TERRIFIED hahahha</p><p>anywaaaayyys im not much of an artist but i wanted to show you guys how i pictured Hummingbird's suit! i made the skin gray and hair black so that you could fill it in with yourself! also, please ignore the hairstyle! i was using myself as a base when drawing, so the drawing's hair does not reflect what people see in the fanfic. its YOUR hair that they see bc this is you! i hope you like it!</p><p>  <a href="https://linkpicture.com/q/4443C72F-00D3-4569-A4E1-B64D60E2B65A.jpeg">hummingbird's superhero suit</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. The Show</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"That reminds me! You fell asleep in history today, so I wrote you down a copy of the notes." The blond smiled as he handed the girl the papers, and Y/n blushed out of embarrassment as she gratefully grabbed them. "Thanks Adrien." She muttered, and Marinette looked at her with a frown. "You've been really sleepy lately. Is everything okay?"</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Things you should know:</p><p>f/b: Favorite band<br/>f/d: Favorite drink<br/>i/d: Italian dish<br/>f/f: Favorite flowers</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     "I'd never lie to you, sir! I heard Ms. Betty talking about the missing pills last night! Immediately after, I saw Miss Caroline go down to the boiler room." Y/n mumbled to herself as Vinca read the script. "You mean to tell me it was a suicide? How can I be sure? I mean, it could've been you." The teal kwami said with a deep voice. Y/n placed the notebook she was using as a prop on the bedside table as she looked at the empty space in front of her. "Mr. DuBois, I've been a maid here for the last fifteen years. I'd never lie to you, sir. Check the cameras, ask the chef, I was picking up empty glasses and leftover plates from around the house." Y/n pretended to walk off stage and then flopped onto her bed.</p><p>     "You worry too much. It's just five lines." Vinca muttered as she set down script and flew over to the bed. "Well, it's my first time being in a show, what if I mess up on stage? I just wanna be prepared." Y/n mumbled, and she looked at the date on her phone with worry. "Okay, so today's Saturday, our first show is Friday, and we have tech week starting Monday." The girl sighed as she set down her phone. Y/n stood up and walked over to the kitchen as the kwami followed her. George and Skylar were at work late, so she was planning to have a cup of ramen noodles for dinner.</p><p>     Y/n hummed a song from f/b as she put the cup in the microwave and prepared Vinca a plate of grapes and Cheez-itz. As the ramen finished cooking, the girl grabbed some f/d from the fridge, a pair of chopsticks, and walked back to her room. Vinca stayed on the kitchen counter, munching on the food happily as Y/n struggled to open the door. She set her f/d on the ground, opened the door, and bent back down to pick up her drink. As she stood up straight and pushed open the door, her heart skipped a beat as she saw a figure standing over her desk. "Oh, hey there! I was wondering where you were."</p><p>     "What the <em>fuck,</em> Chat Noir? You almost gave me a heart attack!" Y/n yelled, loud enough for Vinca to hear, as she set her cup of ramen noodles on her desk. Her face flushed with embarrassment as she realized her script was in the hero's hands. "Sorry, I just wanted to stop by and I realized you weren't in here." He smirked as her looked back down at the script book. Y/n let out a huff as she yanked the book out of Chat Noir's hands. "So you decide to snoop through my room? What if I was walking back from taking a shower?"</p><p>     "I didn't know you were doing a play." The blond smiled as the girl shook her head and sat down at her desk. "You're changing the subject. You shouldn't have waltz in here like that. What if Skylar or George were home?" She frowned, and Chat Noir cockily shrugged his shoulders. "But they weren't, and your lights were on, so that meant you were home." Y/n let out another sigh as she picked up her chopsticks. "That doesn't matter. You shouldn't be breaking and entering just because my lights are on. Next time I'll kick you out, that's a promise." </p><p>     "Now <em>you're</em> avoiding the question. Since when were you in a play?" Chat Noir asked as he leaned against the desk. The girl bite her lip as she picked up some noodles with her chopsticks and shrugged. "Since five months ago." She muttered and Chat Noir looked at her with shock. "I don't know why you care though. It's not like I'll be seeing you in the audience, cat ears and all." She mumbled as she ate her noodles. Chat Noir pouted for a split second and turned to smirk at her. "I don't know Y/n, you could be surprised. But why didn't you tell anyone? Don't you want your friends to come see you?" </p><p>     "Uh... I guess it never really came into the conversation. Then I realized it'd be stupid of me to have them waste their money just to see me stand around and say a couple lines at the end of the show. I don't want to obligate them to come just for me." The girl told the hero as she swallowed her mouthful of noodles. Chat Noir frowned at her words and opened his mouth to respond, but keys jingling at the door caused Y/n to jolt up and push Chat Noir out to the balcony. "You have some good ears!" The blond whispered, and Y/n rolled her eyes before waving and closing the balcony door. </p><p>     She sprinted to the kitchen, hiding Vinca in her hoodie pocket just as George opened the door. "Oh hey, N/n! Is Skylar home yet?" The older man smiled tiredly as he hung his keys on the key hanger. Y/n softly smiled and shook her head as she tried to calm down her heartbeat. "No, she came by in the afternoon for lunch and said she'd be home really late, and she'll text us if she ends up sleeping over." The girl told him, and George softly nodded as he walked up to the counter. He grabbed a grape from Y/n's bowl and popped it into his mouth. "What'd you eat for dinner?" </p><p>     "Some ramen. This is just a little snack." Y/n told him as she gestured to the bowl, and George's smile fell. "Sorry I forgot to make you dinner. I was late this morning." He mumbled, and Y/n shook her head with a smile. "You're fine! Promise! Skylar and I made a pretty big lunch so I wasn't too hungry for dinner." She assured, and George softly chuckled. "That's good to hear. I'll make sure to bring you something from the restaurant tomorrow." He said as he grabbed a glass of water and ruffled Y/n's hair.</p><p>     "I'm gonna go take a shower. You have tech rehearsal this week, right?" Y/n nodded at his question and began walking towards her door. "I'm gonna head to bed early. Good night, George!" The girl called out to him, and the older man smiled. "Good night, N/n!" Y/n softly closed her bedroom door and sighed in relief as she leaned against her door. She double checked that Chat Noir left before shutting the glass door curtain and taking Vinca out of her pocket. "That was way too close." The kwami frowned as Y/n set the bowl of grapes and Cheez-itz on her desk. "Tell me about it."</p><hr/><p>     "Hey, Y/n! Want to go out with us for lunch?" Alya smiled as their last period ended. Y/n looked up from her biology notes to greet the brunette and Marinette. "Sure! Let me just put my stuff away." The girl said as she placed her notebook in her backpack. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Nino and Adrien walk up to the group. "Hey! Can we join you guys?" Adrien asked as Nino wrapped his arm around Alya, and Marinette turned beet red. "Adrien! O-of course you can join us! I mean, it's not like we would say no! Why would we say no? You're Adrien! You're amazing and smart and gorgeous and—"</p><p>     "<em>So,</em> where are we going for lunch?" Y/n asked, cutting Marinette off and saving the bluenette from embarrassing herself. Marinette hid behind Y/n and buried her face in her hands as Adrien looked at them confused. "How about that Italian restaurant two streets away from here? I've been craving some pasta for a while." Nino offered, and everyone quietly agreed as the walked out the classroom and made their way towards the restaurant. Y/n walked next to Marinette, who was vibrating with nervousness and excitement, and Adrien, who seemed a little frustrated. Alya and Nino walked behind them as the group quietly talked about their classes. </p><p>     Once they made it to the restaurant, Alya and Nino sat on one side of the booth, Marinette and Adrien on the other, and Y/n sat in a chair at the head of the table. Everyone took a look at the menu as the waiter took their drink orders and left. "Dude, Ms. Mendeleiev's test today? Brutal! I feel like I failed." Nino whined as he shrunk into the seat. Alya comfortingly pat his back as she smirked. "That's what you get for practicing your DJ-ing skills rather than studying." The group chuckled as Nino blushed. Adrien looked at Y/n with a smile. "How do you think you did?"</p><p>     "Eh, okay I guess. I kinda rushed through it." The girl mumbled, and Adrien looked at her with furrowed brows as he pulled out his backpack. "That reminds me! You fell asleep in history today, so I wrote you down a copy of the notes." The blond smiled as he handed the girl the papers, and Y/n blushed out of embarrassment as she gratefully grabbed them. "Thanks Adrien." She muttered, and Marinette looked at her with a frown. "You've been really sleepy lately. Is everything okay?" </p><p>     "Yeah! I'm okay! I just... Didn't get enough sleep these past couple of days is all." Y/n reassured as she put away the notes in her bag, and everyone looked at her skeptically as the waiter walked up to them. "What will you guys be having today?" He asked as he handed everyone their drinks. "I'll have a i/d." Y/n told him, and the rest of the table ordered their food. As the waiter left Nino looked at Adrien and Y/n with excitement. "There's gonna be a Smash tournament today after school! Do you guys wanna head to the park?" </p><p>     Adrien nodded with a smile as Y/n stared at her f/d. "I dunno... I have a lot of homework to do." She mumbled, and Nino frowned as Alya softly smiled. "Maybe if you stopped sleeping in class you wouldn't have so much homework." The brunette said playfully, and Y/n quietly chuckled. "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind." Marinette looked at Y/n and beamed. "Well, are you free this weekend? Alya and I were planning on having a sleepover at my place, want to join?" She asked, and Y/n but her lip. "Uh— I'll ask? I don't know, this isn't really the best week for me."</p><p>     "Why?" Adrien asked as he stared at Y/n with furrowed brows. The girl softly glared at him as she realized that he was trying to make Y/n tell the table about the play. "Family stuff." She mumbled, looking away and staring down at her cup. "Well, I was planning to see that play at school this weekend! Do you guys wanna come?" Adrien beamed as he turned back to the group. Y/n held the urge to roll her eyes. "That murder mystery? It doesn't look all that interesting to me. I mean, it seems like your stereotypical murder mystery. I'm betting it's the house maid or something." Nino shrugged as Alya and Marinette nodded in agreement, and Y/n saw Adrien's shoulders drop as the waiter came back with their food.</p><hr/><p>     "Is it normal for me to sweat this much?" Y/n mumbled as she sulked in her chair. She was trying to finish her geometry homework as Gabina and Emmy Olsten rehearsed their scene as Ms. Betty and Miss Caroline. Janie gave Y/n a soft smile as she looked at the monitor displaying the stage. "That's normal, you'll get used to it." Y/n smiled. It was very hard to become apart of the tight knit group of the drama club, but Janie always made an effort to talk to Y/n and become her friend. Once in a while they'd get lunch together, but they mostly sat next to each other as the lead roles did their main scenes.</p><p>     "Psst, Y/n! You're in the upcoming scene!" Maya yelled, and Y/n nodded at her stage manager as she put her pencil down. The girl ran to stage left as she walked past Kathy and Marie, who played the mistress and the chef respectively, and grabbed her silver tray with a tea set on it. She waited for her que line, and stomped on the floor to mimic knocking on the door. "Who is it?" Gabina yelled with a scowl, and Y/n timidly walked onstage. "Would you like your afternoon tea, Ms. Betty?" She asked, and the brunette took a breath of relief as Emmy O stood up from the chair.</p><p>     "Thank you, you may be on you way." Gabina waved off, and Y/n bowed before exiting the room. The girl let out a quiet yawn as she placed her tray on the prop table. Emmy O continued with her lines as Emmy Dabbraccio and Richie, who played Caroline's mother and Mr. DuBois, prepared to enter the scene. Y/n waved as she walked past them and held in a yawn as she made her way to the green room. She wanted to rub her eyes so badly but the stage makeup prevented her from doing so. "Just one more hour." She mumbled to herself as she sat back down next to Janie.</p><hr/><p>     "Y/n?" Vinca mumbled as she opened the backpack and flew out of the pocket. She flew over to her wielder, who was flopped face down on her bed, and looked at the girl with worry. "Hmm?" The girl hummed, half asleep. It was ten, rehearsal ended thirty minutes ago, and Y/n was torn between falling asleep on the spot or eating dinner. "I think you left your geometry homework in the green room..." The kwami mumbled, and the girl let out a loud groan. "I'll pick it up in the morning." Y/n muttered as she sat up. </p><p>     She started to make her way towards the kitchen, but a blood curdling scream an alleyway down alerted her. "Y/n, you haven't eaten since four—" Vinca mumbled, but the girl ignored the kwami as she threw open the glass door. "Vinca, let's fly!" She yelled, and a teal-green light flooded the room as Y/n transformed. Hummingbird sloppily jumped off the balcony and ran across the rooftops. She saw a woman, probably in her early twenties, holding groceries bags and standing against the wall. "What's wrong?!" Hummingbird asked as she landed in the street.</p><p>     "Th-There's a ghost- or- or something!!! There's eyes!! Right there!! Staring at me! And I heard growling- or hissing or something!" The woman frantically screamed as she pointed at two green orbs hiding in the shadows. Hummingbird took out her bow and aimed it at the beads as she took a closer looked. As she took a step towards the shadows, a white and black alleycat hissed at the heroine and ran off. Hummingbird let out a quiet sigh as she put away her bow. "You're fine ma'am. It was just a stray kitten." </p><p>     "O-Oh... That's, heh, kind of embarrassing. Sorry, Hummingbird, I just watched a scary movie with my partner a couple of hours ago, so I'm a bit on edge. Their decision, not mine. Thank you anyways! Hope you have a good night!" The woman sheepishly beamed as she waved at the heroine and ran out of the alleyway. Hummingbird leaned against the wall in frustration as she regained some strength to make it home. As soon as she walked through her glass doors, Y/n detransformed and flopped onto her bed.</p><p>     Vinca rolled her eyes at the girl as she sneakily flew into the kitchen to grab a branch of grapes. As the kwami flew back, the girl was fast asleep, laying on top of her blanket, still in her school clothes, and all her lights turned on. "Y/n, you haven't had dinner." The kwami mumbled, and the girl swatted Vinca away as she got more comfortable. "Food later. Sleep now." Y/n mumbled quietly before letting out another snore. Vinca rolled her eyes as she shut the doors and turned off all the lights.</p><hr/><p>     "I really hope there won't be another akuma attack today." Y/n whispered as she entered the dressing room. It was finally the night for opening night. The room was lively as all the girls changed into their costumes and reread their lines. Y/n set down her bag at the mirror she shared with Lily, and she walked over to the full rack of clothes that held all the costumes. It was a surprise that it had that much strength to not collapse.</p><p>     "I think we'll be fine, besides, we already had one today and Ladybug and Chat Noir cleaned it up in, like, fifteen minutes." Marie beamed as she slipped on her chef outfit. She was a stocky, mixed girl with black hair and brown eyes who was very kind and chirpy. Y/n did a scene with her two weeks ago and learned that Marie was a girl she could definitely trust if she needed anything.</p><p>     "Speaking of Chat Noir, can we just admire how hot he is for a quick second?" Liah smirked as she nudged Kathy, a short girl with long, curly brown hair and green eyes. Kathy rolled her eyes and shrugged. "I mean, if we're going by figure, sure, but we don't even know what he looks like withou a mask." The brunette said as she lightly drew on her fake wrinkles with an eyeliner pencil. Liah dreamily sighed as she sprawled all over on the counter. "It's not all looks, Kathy. What about his personality? I like me some bad boys once in a while."</p><p>     "First of all, <em>ew,</em> Liah. Secondly, Chat Noir is <em>not</em> a bad boy. Do you hear how he talks to Ladybug? He's endearing to say the least, and I, for one, love me a romantic." Emmy D gushed, and Emmy O rolled her eyes. "I find him a little obnoxious, not gonna lie. I mean, don't get me wrong! He's definitely charming, but he seems a bit too full of himself." The blonde responded as she fixed her hair into a bun. Gabina nodded in agreement as she put on her dress. "If anything, I feel <em>bad</em> for him. He's constantly pinning over Ladybug, who obviously wants nothing to do with him."</p><p>     "I feel like she secretly likes him, though. They have really good chemistry, and she seems to enjoy all the compliments he gives her." Lily responded as she put on some mascara. Y/n, who was finished changing, listened to everyone with amusement. The girls continued to chatter as Y/n slipped on her mary jane shoes, and she put on a light layer of stage makeup as a knock rang on the door. "Fifteen minutes until places!" Maya's voice alerted, and everyone responded in unison. "Thank you, fifteen!" As the girls rappidly made last minute touch ups, Y/n went to check on her phone. She noticed Vinca sleeping, and she had a text from Skylar and George.</p><p>     <em>Skylar: Hey, N/n! I'm really sorry to say this but Mr. Agreste needed me to make last minute paperwork, so I won't be able to make it to your show. And I promised I'd help this weekend with his new collection, so I won't be able to see it at all. In fact I'll probably have to spend the weekend here considering that it's so much work. I hope you understand, I'll try to make it to your next ones! xxx</em></p><p>
  <em>     George: Hey, so the restaurant suddenly got very busy, and they needed an extra set of hands. I'll see if I can make it to your show, but at this rate I'm not entirely sure. Many people are out sick this week, so I hope I'll have someone fill for me so I can come see you. Either way, I hope you break a leg!!!! You're gonna kill it, N/n!!</em>
</p><p>     Y/n felt her heart sink as she turned off her phone. <em>So, all these months, this entire week of hell, I did for nothing? No one is going to come see me? This was such a waste of time.</em> The girl heavily sighed as she put her phone in her backpack and placed it on top of her clothes. Janie looked at her with worry as all the girls kept bickering. "Hey, Y/n, are you okay?" The senior asked, and Y/n gave her a strained smile as she made her way out her door. "Yeah, just some pre-show nerves. I'm fine, I think I just need a little fresh air."</p><hr/><p>     Y/n picked her hangnails as she mentally prepared herself. Her first scenes passed without a hitch, but this next scene, she was supposed to discreetly eavesdrop on Gabina and Matthieu, who played Mr. DuBois' intern, talking about the Xanax pills that Caroline would later overdose on. There was a a bump in the rug at the front of the wing she exits on, and Y/n would constantly trip over it during tech week. She's hoping she wouldn't do the same this run.</p><p>     Y/n took a deep breath, and began walking on stage after her cue line was said. As Gabina and Matthieu were whispering about the pills going missing, Y/n conveniently dropped a utensil from her tray. She bent down to pick it up and continued to make her way off stage. She made sure to take a larger step over the bump as she made her way off stage. She let out a quiet sigh of relief as David walked on stage for the next scene. The first act was almost over, and Y/n made her way towards the dressing room to freshen up before it got full during intermission.</p><hr/><p>     "It was you! You killed Caroline!!" Richie yelled accusingly at Matthieu as the cast gathered around them. They all pretended to be in shock in their groups, the staff and the family, and Richie pushed Matthieu away from them. "I didn't kill <em>anyone,</em> she killed herself!" The blond huffed as he regained his composure, and Bastien, who played the richer uncle, took a step forward, confused. "Simon, calm down. You shouldn't throw accusations like that." The blond said as he placed his hand on Richie's shoulder, but the brunet shrugged it off and frowned. </p><p>     "Don't you get it, Theodore? He told Caroline that the pills would make her unconscious momentarily, and they would run away together at midnight. Poor Caroline, she was a fool to fall in love with this man, but she believed him and look where we landed! My daughter, your neice! She's gone!" Benny Badre, a tall, black senior who played the gardener, took a step foward and frowned. "With all due respect, sir. How did you even come up with a conclusion like that?" </p><p>     "She had her bags at the ready under her bed, along with a small box with a diamond ring and a note from this scoundrel that read 'Together we will soon be, my love'. When Alison told me she saw Caroline go into the boiler room, I thought she was lying. Then I realized, Gabriel had a burn on his hand this morning. He has to be the one, he has to be. My Caroline wouldn't ever think to do something like this on her own." Richie said with a strict demeanor, and Y/n was beyond impressed at his acting skills.</p><p>     She was almost caught off guard when Matthieu ran up to her and grabbed her by the collar. "So you're the sorry little lowlife that ratted me out? I'll kill you! You cost me everything!" Matthieu screamed with rage, and Y/n was kind of terrified. He never went this hard during the rehearsals. Bastien and Richie ripped Matthieu off of Y/n as Marie and Janie consoled her. The cast quickly finished the show, with Matthieu getting arrested by Pierre, and went onstage for the final bow.</p><p>     The cast chirped with excitement as they made their way out to the meet and greet, and Y/n felt her energy falter as they went out into the hallway. "You okay? You did great tonight!" Janie comforted, and Y/n gave her a small smile. "I'm okay, just a little tired." Before the senior could respond, she was pulled away by her family as they congratulated her in the show. Y/n stood awkwardly, watching everyone get handed flowers by their friends and family. The girl sighed quietly to herself, and turned to make her way back to the green room. </p><p>     "Y/n!!!!!!" A voice yelled, and the girl turned around in confusion towards the source. She let out a gasp as she watched her friends and class run up to her and give her a group hug. "What— Why— When did— <em>How?</em>" The girl stuttered, surprised to say the least. Her classmates congratulated her and handed her a flower each, forming a bouquet of f/f. "What are you guys doing here?" She asked as her cheeks turned bright red. "Adrien found out you were in this show, and didn't tell any of us, so we all agreed to show up, just for you!" Alya beamed as she pulled Y/n into another hug. </p><p>     The girl smiled as Marinette joined the hug. "It's all starting to make sense now! You always being busy, and always sleeping in class this week. I'm a little offended that you put yourself through this torture and didn't plan on telling us." The bluenette smirked, and Y/n sheepishly smiled at the comment. Nino lightly punched Y/n in the shoulder and beamed as he wrapped an arm around her and Alya. "Never in my life would I have assumed that it was the intern! You were amazing, Y/n!" </p><p>     "Wow, I— ...I don't know how know how to thank you guys." Y/n mumbled, and Adrien gave her a smile. "How about not keeping your shows a secret anymore? We wanna support you, Y/n! No more of this secret play rehearsal stuff. Got it?" The blond playfully frowned, and Y/n halfheartedly rolled her eyes as she nodded. "Yes sir, Mr. Agreste, sir. Hey wait— speaking of Agreste, howcome your dad let you leave the house?"</p><p>     "All thanks to Skylar! She convinced my dad to let me go in exchange for her working in late." The blond beamed, and Y/n felt admiration towards her aunt as she looked down at her flowers. "Thanks guys. Really. For coming to the show and for the flowers." She mumbled. "Actually, Chloé bought the flowers!" Adrien beamed, and Y/n looked at him in shock as she searched the group for the blonde. Sure enough, hiding behind Sabrina with sunglasses and a bandanna over her hair was Chloé. The blonde girl turned a bright shade of pink and crossed her arms. "Adrikins made me do it. Your show was mediocre, by the way. I've seen way better at <em>L'Opéra.</em>"</p><p>     Y/n rolled her eyes again as she gave everyone, except Chloé, an individual hug. Eventually, her classmates left and her friends stayed behind as they chatted. "I have to go home soon, but maybe we could sneak off to a nearby restaurant before Nathalie picks me up?" Adrien suggested, and the group nodded in agreement as Y/n began walking towards the back. "I'll go get changed really quickly." The group nodded, and Marinette, Alya, and Nino started to make their way towards the exit. Adrien quickly ran up to Y/n and gave her a tight hug. "You were awesome." He mumbled in her ear, and the girl sheepishly smiled as she awkwardly pat his back. "Thanks again, Adrien. Now get off of me so I can go change."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>im really sorry for that short hiatus!!!! the start of school definitely threw me off course sorry about that. but as a theatre kid writing this chapter made me really nostalgic and miss the old days. fair warning- theres quite a bit of stuff happening in my personal life so i dont know exactly when the next chapter will be out. ill try not to take too long! i really do enjoy writing this and i have most of the plot planned out so i promise im not gonna quit writing this anytime soon. it just might take a a couple weeks or so to fit this in. hope you understand!! im glad so many of you have enjoyed my story thus far!!! please stay safe!!! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. The Puppeteer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Manon! What are you—" Marinette began, startled by the little girl who reached the room. "I left my bag here!" She told Marinette as she grabbed the pink backpack and her toy wand. Manon hesitated as she looked over at Marinette and the doll in her hands. "Can I have Ladybug?" She quietly asked, and Marinette sighed. "You heard what your mom said." Marinette stated, but the girl looked at her with a small frown. "She wouldn't know if I hide it!"</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>things you should know:</p><p>F/y: favorite youtuber</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>   "<em>Merde.</em>" Y/n mumbled under her breath as she erased the last sentence she wrote down. Since her mind started to wander, her words were jumbled, and she used the incorrect terms. Y/n let out a quiet sigh as she turned down the volume of F/y's stream. It wasn't exactly helping her case to focus. As she rewrote her sentence, a teal kwami popped her head up from her grape and goldfish filled bowl.</p><p>     "Hey Y/n? Are you okay?" Vinca asked the girl over the voices on the tv as Y/n sat on her desk with her biology notes sprawled out. "Hm? Yeah, I'm fine," She mumbled without looking up from her paper, and her kwami looked at her with suspicion. The girl stared at her homework with droopy eyes, and Vinca could tell immediately that something was on her mind. The kwami huffed and paused the tv, causing the girl to look up at the creature. "What, Vinca? Can't you see I'm trying to do homework?" Y/n asked with an annoyed frown.</p><p>     Vinca inspected the girl with her arms crossed, wondering why her mind seemed to be so full. The show ended two weeks ago, and Y/n rapidly got back into the swing of things with her schoolwork and herowork. Not to mention, George, Skylar, and Y/n went out to dinner one night, giving the girl a break from her usual ramen noodle cups, so Vinca could not understand what was wrong. The kwami hovered over the girl with a pout as Y/n dropped her head in her hands. "I don't suppose kwamis give out life advice."</p><p>     "Life advice?" Vinca muttered to herself as she sat down on the desk, looking at the glum girl. "Well, I don't know. Maybe being in a group of five is a bad idea. Especially when two of them are in a relationship and the other three are... well, no one really knows. I'm like, the fifth wheel. Don't get me wrong, Alya and Nino make an amazing couple! Honestly, goals. But, I always feel so awkward when they not-so-subtly try to get Marinette and Adrien together.</p><p>     "And... I feel like... <em>Maybe</em> I should come out? And tell them I like Marinette? Well, maybe not tell Marinette that I like Marinette, at least tell Alya and Nino, maybe even Adrien. I just—Over the past year they've all became really important people in my life. I want to tell them because it's a big part of who I am—uh, not me liking Marinette, me being bi—but... I don't know, there's just... too many risks, y'know? Am I making sense? Did any of that make sense to you?"</p><p>     "Yeah, I think I understand. And this risk is...?" Vinca pressured as Y/n hastily ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know. I feel like I know them well enough to know that they wouldn't just cut me off for something like that, but you can never be too sure. I just don't want them thinking I'm weird." The girl admitted, and Vinca frowned as she pat the girl's hand. "Well... Do Skylar and George know? Maybe they could help!"</p><p>     Y/n's eyes widened at the statement as she rapidly shook her head. "Oh <em>god</em> no. George and Skylar have enough trouble on their hands. They don't need to deal with a pubescent teen having a crisis on her crush and sexuality... And, I can't afford anything about this to reach my parents. I'd be screwed." Y/n whispered the last sentence to herself as Vinca looked at her, intrigued. The subject of Y/n's parents was never one Vinca ever thought of bringing up. The girl was stressed enough, why stress her out even more? Besides, the kwami just assumed she lived with her uncle back in the States.</p><p>     "I say go for it. You said it yourself, your friends wouldn't ditch you for something as little as being bi. Besides, if they do, that's their loss. Anyone is lucky to be your friend, Y/n." Vinca reassured with a beam, and Y/n gave her a small smile. Although the kwami's small pep talk didn't alleviate the stress and yearning that was seeping from the girl, it made her feel a little better that she could count on her kwami. "Thanks, Vinca." Y/n mumbled as she gave the kwami a pat on her head. The girl unpaused the stream as she started to put away her homework, and suddenly her phone dinged. Y/n looked at the message in confusion as she realized it was from Adrien.</p><p>     <em>Adrien: Y/n!! I had to go to a photoshoot near the park, and right now I'm trying to ditch my bodyguard and go watch a movie. Please come??? I don't wanna go by myself. I'll pay for you if you want!! Meet me at the metro! I'll be there in 20-ish minutes.</em></p><p>     Y/n sighed to herself. She wasn't really in the mood to go out and socialize, but she knew she couldn't let Adrien go out by himself. Y/n quickly shot him a text, agreeing, as she walked over to her closet to grab a pair of shoes and her mini backpack. "Where are we going?" Vinca asked as she flew into the back, a handful of grapes in her arm. "Adrien wants to go watch a movie. I'm pretty done with my homework, so it'll be a nice distraction from everything going on." Y/n answered as she grabbed a hat, a pair of sunglasses, and her keys, and made her way out of the apartment.</p><hr/><p>     "I think our heroes are in need of a little TLC!" Tikki smiled as Marinette looked at the small doll in her hand. She babysat Manon today, and while they were playing, the little girl ripped the arm of the Ladybug doll Marinette made. Marinette smiled at Tikki as she looked at the small collection. In addition to Ladybug, she had Chat Noir, Lady Wifi, Evillustrater, and Rogercop. She had the fabric for a Hummingbird doll off to the side. Suddenly, a small pair of footsteps were heard on Marinette's stairs and Tikki hid behind a photo. </p><p>     "Manon! What are you—" Marinette began, startled by the little girl who reached the room. "I left my bag here!" She told Marinette as she grabbed the pink backpack and her toy wand. Manon hesitated as she looked over at Marinette and the doll in her hands. "Can I have Ladybug?" She quietly asked, and Marinette sighed. "You heard what your mom said." Marinette stated, but the girl looked at her with a small frown. "She wouldn't know if I hide it!"</p><p>     "Sorry, but I have to sew her up!" Marinette explained as she showed the girl the ripped arm. Apart of her wished that the girl would hurry up and leave. She had to meet up with Alya in twenty minutes, and she wanted to fix the doll beforehand. "Pretty pleeeeease??" Manon pleaded, showing Marinette her big, sad eyes. "Oh please, please not the baby doll eyes!" Marinette sighed, exasperated and she glanced back at Tikki, who shook her head. "Ugh. Okay, you can borrow Lady Wifi." The bluenette concluded as she gave the little girl the doll.</p><p>     Manon looked at the doll blankly before looking back up at Marinette. "Can I have the Ladybug doll?" Manon asked again, but thankfully the bluenette was saved by a call at the front door. "Hurry up Manon! We have to stop by the station!" Nadja yelled, and Manon quickly shoved the Lady Wifi doll into her bag. "Coming, mommy!" She called out as she ran to the door. Manon gave Marinette a wave goodbye before walking down the stairs. Marinette sighed in relief as Tikki flew out from behind the photo.</p><p>     "Wow, she sure had you wrapped around her little finger!" The red kwami said with a smile, and Marinette looked at her defensively. "What!? No she didn—ugh. You know Tikki, I can't say no to those—" Tikki cut Marinette off with a giggle. "Baby doll eyes? Just be glad none of Ladybug's baddies have them! You'd be rendered powerless!" The red kwami joked, and Marinette lightheartedly rolled her eyes as she began to stitch back up the Ladybug doll's arm.</p><hr/><p>     "Y/n!" Adrien waved as the girl reached him. Y/n gave him a small smile as she rummaged through her backpack. "I got you some stuff. Y'know, so we can stay on the downlow." The girl said as she handed him her sunglasses and Buzzfeed Unsolved hat. Adrien beamed as he put the accessories on. "There! Practically unrecognizable!" The blond smirked, and Y/n halfheartedly rolled her eyes as the two began to make their way to the metro. "So, what movie do you wanna watch?" Y/n asked as they walked down the stairs.</p><p>     "Any one is fine to me. But according to the website, the movie with the earliest showing is in thirty minutes." Adrien said as he pulled out his phone and showed it to the girl. Y/n hummed in acknowledgment as she looked through the maps app on her phone. "Well, we'd have, like ten minutes to kill before the show. We could visit that bookstore down the street from the theater." Y/n told Adrien as the train arrived and opened it doors. The blond thought for a second before shaking his head. "Nah, we could visit that later. I'd rather wait in line to get some popcorn if that's alright with you." </p><p>     "Sure thing, dude." Y/n smiled as she put away her phone. Adrien looked at the time before pocketing his phone as well. "What were you doing before I texted you? I hope I didn't interrupt or anything." The blond started to apologize, but Y/n shook her head. "Just doing some homework. I finally caught up with my classes last week, so it wasn't anything too bad. Just some biology notes." Adrien hummed in acknowledgment as the two stood around. Y/n bit her lip as she stared at her shoes. "Hey, Adrien. I gotta tell you something..."</p><p>     The blond looked at the girl attentively, curious as to what she had to say. Y/n glanced at him before averting her eyes and looking around the cart. "I... I— ...Is that Alya?" Y/n mumbled, purposefully distracting herself as she saw her brunette friend through the window in the next cart. Adrien, who seemed a little disappointed, looked at his classmate and waved with a smile. Y/n waved and grinned as she saw Marinette hide behind Alya. The brunette pulled Marinette from behind her and waved the bluenette's arm for her.</p><p>     Suddenly, Y/n watched their cart begin to glow as Alya slowly transformed into Lady Wifi. "What— what's going on!?" Alya screamed before the outfit could consume her. "Alya!" Y/n yelled as she pressed herself against the window, worried. "Marinette! Give me those Ladybug and Chat Noir dolls!" Lady Wifi whined, and Marinette looked at her with fear and confusion. "Lady Wifi?" The bluenette mumbled, but the villian growled and shook her head. "No! I'm Puppeteer! And I…want…those…dolls…NOW!!" The brunette said while stomping.</p><p>     "Puppeteer? The dolls? I don't—I don't have them. They're at home! Why…Why do you want them, Puppeteer?" Marinette asked, much more calmly. "Because, you said I could have them! Then Mommy said 'no!' So give 'em to me now! Or you'll be super duper sorry!" Lady Wifi ranted, and Marinette let out a gasp of realization. "Manon!" She mumbled to herself as the train came to a stop. "I want Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses, to win! Forever and EVER!!" Lady Wifi declared as she used her phone to create a hoverboard and ride out of the station. </p><p>     "Manon! This isn't a game!" Marinette called out as she followed the villian out the cart. Y/n ran out to meet the bluenette as Adrien ran to the front of the train. "Marinette are you okay? What happened to Alya? Did you see an akuma?" Y/n asked as she stood next to the girl. Marinette let out an exasperated sigh as she pushed away her bangs from out of her face. "It all happened so fast, I don't <em>know</em> what I saw!" The bluenette said with a frown, and a familiar blond ran up to the girls and placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder.</p><p>     "Hey, that was Lady Wifi. Did that villain say anything to you?" Chat Noir asked as Marinette and Y/n turned to face him. "Uh, I'm not sure, but her voice belonged to a little girl I babysit. It's as if she was controlling my friend, Alya—I mean, Lady Wifi—from a distance. This is so weird." Marinette explained to him as Chat Noir slowly nodded. "And what was this talk about dolls?" He asked, and the bluenette gave him a small smile. "I've got some dolls she likes to play with."</p><p>     "Your dolls? Okay, where do you live?" The blond hero asked her. "12 Rue Gotlib." Marinette told him, and Chat Noir nodded again. "I'll take care of it!" He reassured the girls. His green eyes turned to Y/n, who was watching the conversation quietly. "Please, stay safe." He told her before running out of the metro station. Marinette looked at Y/n curiously, who was staring out the exit while biting her lip in frustration. Before Marinette could talk, Y/n shook her head and placed a hand on the bluenette's shoulder.</p><p>     "I better go find Adrien. He never does well during amuma attacks. I'll go see where he's run off to and you go find a safe place to hide." Y/n told Marinette, and the bluenette nodded before the two girls ran off in different directions. Y/n ran to the other entrance of the metro and ran up the stairs. From the other side, she could see Ladybug exit the metro and launch herself in the direction of Marinette's house. <em>Speaking of Adrien, that lil shit better give me back my sunglasses and hat unlike my sweater.</em> "So, what now?" Vinca asked from within the backpack. "Honestly, I dont know..."</p><hr/><p>     "What a surprise! I thought you forgot about me." Master Fu smiled as he poured Y/n a cup of tea. The girl softly smiled as Vinca and Wayzz sat in the middle of the table.  "Sorry, Master. Things were a bit hectic this past month at school." Y/n apologized as Master Fu set down a plate of cookies. "No worries. I'm glad to see you again. How is everything going with your heroing?" The old man asked, and Y/n held in a sigh as she leaned on her hand. "That's actually why I came here to talk to you."</p><p>     "Oh?" Master Fu said, intrigued. Y/n defensively sat up as she made eye contact with the old man. "I'm not quitting! If that's what you're thinking. I'm more... confused? On where I should be headed. I thought it would be best to stay on the sidelines, not interfere with Ladybug and Chat Noir, but I feel like I'm led to a dead end. They're out here with news articles after news article, meanwhile the best I get is like a picture or two. Am I jealous? I don't think I am. I just want to reach my full potential. But, is it to late to join them? Or should I even join them at all? I don't know..."</p><p>     "It's <em>never</em> too late to join them. The decision is yours. Only you can decide what methods works for you, and from there, only time can tell." Master Fu told the girl before taking a sip of his tea. Y/n smiled to herself as she looked down at her cup. "You <em>always</em> say that. Either way, thank you Master Fu." The chinese man smiled as he set down his tea. "The pleasure is mine. Now, if I'm not mistaken. You have an akuma to help catch, right?" Y/n nodded as she stood up, Vinca attentively flying up to the girl's face level. "Vinca! Let's fly!"</p><hr/><p>     Ladybug let out an exasperated sigh as she ran up the flight of stairs. The Puppeteer got a hold of all the dolls, excluding the Ladybug one, and the said heroine was trying to come up with a plan before Chat Noir made his way there. As Ladybug entered the floor and turned the corner, she was taken aback when a familiar figure in teal and green stood before her. "Hummingbird! What are you doing here?" Ladybug asked as the two met up in the middle of the hall. "I followed your tracker. Thought you could use some help. So, who's this 'Pupeteer' and what does she want?"</p><p>     Ladybug started to lead Hummingbird in the direction of the studio as she glanced at her yo-yo, waiting for any word from Chat Noir. "She's this girl Marinette babysits, Manon. I think she controls people with some handmade dolls that Marinette made. As of now, Puppeteer has Rogercop, Evillustrater, and Lady Wifi under her control. She has Chat Noir's doll too, but I don't think he's been transformed yet. All that's left is mine, then her collection is complete."</p><p>     "Really? I'm assuming I'm in the clear then, since I have no doll." Hummingbird said with a little bit of pettiness, and Ladybug awkwardly frowned. "Technically yes, but that's only because Marinette hasn't gotten around to making it! She has the pattern for yours, I swear! She just hasn't gotten around to making it!" Hummingbird gave her a small look of disbelief as the two reached the bright red doors. "Right..." The heroine mumbled, but before Ladybug could respond, her yo-yo began to ring. The bluenette hesitated before answering it, but nonetheless, Chat Noir popped up on the screen.</p><p>     "Have you located her?" The blond asked, who seem to be running in the building's halls. "Inside the KIDZ+ TV building!" Ladybug told her, and Chat Noir nodded. "Got it!" He told her before hanging up the call. The two heroines stood quietly, staring at the red doors with a tense atmosphere surrounding them. Suddenly, Hummingbird felt a hand grasp her shoulder. She felt her reflexes take action as she grabbed the arm, wrenched it behind the figure's back, and pushed him against the wall. "Ow! I'm okay, not a puppet yet! But I'd love to find the akuma before that changes. Nice to see you again, colibri."</p><p>     Hummingbird's eyes widened with shock as she let go of Chat Noir. "Sorry!" The girl whispered as the blond regained his posture and rubbed the area where she grabbed him. "It's all good. Didn't take you as the type of person to be so rough." Chat Noir smirked as he gave the heroine a wink, and Hummingbird began to blush profusely as Ladybug rolled her eyes. "Enough, Chat. On three, One...two...three!" The bluenette kicked open the door and the three heroes ran in, weapons in hand. Alas, they were too late, as Puppeteer pointed her wand at the Chat Noir doll. "Chat Noir! Come to Life!" </p><p>     "No!" Chat Noir screamed as he lunged for the doll, but the magic surrounded it and his green eyes hazed over. "Chat Noir! No!" Ladybug yelled as he slowly stood up and turned to the bluenette. "Gimme that Ladybug doll! I'm gonna get your Miraculous!" Puppeteer and Chat Noir said in sync, and the two heroines brought their weapons up. "I feel like this happens to him often." Hummingbird muttered to herself as Ladybug spun her yo-yo. "Not so fast, rugrat!" She yelled as she launched her yo-yo at the wand, but Chat Noir blocked it with his body.</p><p>     "Sorry Chat Noir!" Ladybug apologized as the villains started to close in. "Two against five!? How is that fair?" Hummingbird said with a huff as the heroines kept their defensive stances. "The Ladybug doll, get it!" The Puppeteer ordered as Evillustrator drew a phone for Lady Wifi. "Thanks Evillustrator! Now the doll!" The brunette said with a smirk, and Hummingbird looked at Ladybug patiently, ready for the next command. "Is this what you want? Say pretty please!" Ladybug yelled as she grabbed a roll of tape and ran towards the red doors. Hummingbird looked at her with slight shock, not expecting the sudden retreat, but followed her out to the stairwell.</p><p>     "The doll! She got away with it! Get her!" The Puppeteer's voice rang through the halls before the stairwell door closed, and Ladybug and Hummingbird made their way to the roof. The bluenette grabbed Hummingbird's wrist and led her behind a light to hide as the villians slammed open the door. "Where'd she go!?" Lady Wifi growled as Hummingbird looked at the bluenette expectantly. "What's the next move?" The girl asked, and Ladybug gave her a smirk. "First we gotta get rid of them, then Puppeteer!" The bluenette told her, and Hummingbird nodded as her eyes made their way to the giant light.</p><p>     Hummingbird flipped it over and turned it on to blind the villains as Ladybug wrapped tape around Rogercop and Evillustrator. Chat Noir tried to attack Ladybug with his baton, but Hummingbird blocked it with her bow and use the extended baton to launch the blond off the building. Ladybug looked at Lady Wifi with a mischievous glare in her eye. "If you want this doll so badly, come and get it!" She said before throwing the doll in the direction of the Eiffel Tower. "I'm faster than you! You're gonna lose, Ladybug!" Lady Wifi childishly taunted as she made a hoverboard button with her phone and followed the flying doll.</p><p>     Hummingbird smiled at the opened opportunity to have Puppeteer alone and ran with Ladybug back to studio. "Now that you're alone, I'm gonna— huh!?" Ladybug said, confused, as she looked around the empty studio. "Where'd she go?" Hummingbird asked as they began to run towards the lobby, hoping that the security cameras would give them any clues. As they made their way down, Hummingbird could hear the little girl's voice. "Now I'm the winner! Haha!" Puppeteer cackled as Lady Wifi handed her the Ladybug doll. "Drop that doll, Manon!" The bluenette order as they reached the villains. </p><p>     "I'm not Manon, I'm Puppeteer!" She pouted, and she used her wand to make Lady Wifi throw pause symbols at Ladybug and Hummingbird. The two hid behind a wall as the attacks continued to follow them. "Lucky Charm!" Ladybug yelled, and the swarm of ladybugs had a power strip in appear. "A power strip?" Hummingbird mumbled as Ladybug looked around the room. "You've lost, Ladybug!" The Puppeteer taunted, and Evillustaror erased the wall they stood behind. "There may be five of you but we're twice as dangerous!" Ladybug told them as she spun her yo-yo and the power strip. </p><p>     The villains began to throw obstacles their way, and The two heroines blocked it with their weapons. Hummingbird blindly followed Ladybug closer to the villains as she used explosive arrows to block the attacks. Ladybug fought Chat Noir and Lady Wifi as Hummingbird fended off Rogercop and Evillustrator with her putty and net arrows. "Hummingbird!" Ladybug yelled, and the girl turned around to see Chat Noir pin the bluenette girl to the ground. It gave Lady Wifi the opportunity to point her phone at the bluenette and pause her. <em>Merde.</em> Hummingbird watched in horror as The Puppeteer brought up her wand and the puppet. "Ladybug, come to lif—"</p><p>     "Speeding Hum!" Hummingbird screamed, stopping time right before the magic reached the doll. <em>Fuck. I know this isn't exactly making a window of opportunity, but I don't exactly have a choice.</em> Hummingbird grabbed the wand out of The Puppeteer's hand and broke the toy against her knee. Time began to move back to normal as the black butterfly started to fly away. Realizing Ladybug couldn't do it, Hummingbird brought back the bow's string, summoning a purifying arrow. As the glowing white arrow made contact with the black butterfly, a small explosion appeared around it and out emerged a white butterfly.</p><p>     Hummingbird forced Lady Wifi to unpause Ladybug, and the girl helped the bluenette stand up. "I got the akuma, now quick! Do your ladybug thing!" She explained before Ladybug could ask any questions, and the bluenette nodded as she picked up the power strip. "Miraculous Ladybug!" She yelled, and a swarm of ladybugs turned the villains back to their civilian selves. "What happened?" Chat Noir asked as Hummingbird went to help him off the ground. "You were a puppet!" Ladybug told him with a smirk.</p><p>     "Don't worry, you didn't do anything stupider than usual." Hummingbird reassured, and Chat Noir nodded and looked at the Ladybug with a smirk. "Good. And, FYI, you can pull my heartstrings any day!" He told her, and Ladybug began to laugh. Hummingbird was taken aback when Chat Noir turned his attention to her and winked. She halfheartedly rolled her eyes as Ladybug calmed down, not seeing the interaction between the two. "I think you were better when you sounded like a five-year old girl!" The bluenette told him.</p><p>     "Manon!" Nadja cried in relief as she ran towards her daughter. Manon looked at her confused for a second before running to her mom and hugging her. "Thank you Ladybug! Thank you." The reporter grateful told the bluenette. Hummingbird bit her lip as she swallowed her pride and let Ladybug receive the praise. Chat Noir saw the heroine's slight discomfort and comfortingly patted her shoulder.</p><p>     "Thank you, Mrs. Chamack, but you should really be thanking Hummingbird. I couldn't have done this without her." Ladybug told Nadja as she placed her hand on Hummingbird's shoulder. The girl could feel her cheeks heat up as Nadja turned her attention to the heroine and praised her. From the corner of her eye, she could see a man take a photo of the three heroes. <em>That'll be a good one. I bet Alya will go crazy.</em> "Ah, it was nothing. Glad I could help." Hummingbird smiled, and Ladybug lightheartedly rolled her eyes as she started to walk towards the exit. "I should get going. Thanks again Hummingbird! Bug out!"</p><hr/><p>     Hummingbird sighed as she leaned against the building. It was nighttime, and she was out on patrol as a way to empty out her mind. To join their team or not to join was the question. On one hand, joining Ladybug and Chat Noir's team could help her grow stronger for Master Fu. On the other hand, the two heroes already had a good dynamic, and she didn't even know if they wanted her on the team in the first place. It was a complicated dilemma. <em>I mean, I always try to keep my distance, but I always end up going right back to them. Isn't that a sign that I should join? </em></p><p>     "Another late night thinking session? What, no Cheez-Itz this time?" A familiar cheeky voice said as he walked up to Hummingbird and sat down next to her. "Chat? This is like the third time you've seen me on patrol this week. Are you following me or something?" Hummingbird smirked as she watched the traffic below her. Chat Noir laughed, a soft blush coating his cheeks as he shook his head. "What? No! Can't a fellow superhero say hi to his ally once in a while?" </p><p>     "Three times a week is a bit more frequently than once in a while but I'll let it slide." The heroine told him as they sat in slience, the cars and people bustling serving as their background noise. "So, what's on your existential crisis about this time?" Chat Noir asked as Hummingbird shrugged. "I dunno. I'm just wondering if I'm doing this hero stuff right. You always see you and Ladybug on the papers and stuff, you guys are the favorites and I'm okay with that. I'm just worried that I'm not doing anything right on my end. I don't want people to think I'm slacking off, I'm just not as out there as you and LadyB."</p><p>     Hummingbird look at the blond in surprise. Her brain must've forgotten the two were in their hero form because there's no way <em>Hummingbird</em> would've opened up to Chat Noir like that so easily. She wasn't the only one who was surprised, because Chat Noir turned to her with slight shock and worry. "Woah, where'd all this come from? Hummingbird, the people <em>love</em> you! They just see how isolated you are and respect your privacy. Besides, who comes to the rescue when my dumb self is under the villains control? We would be lost without you!"</p><p>     Hummingbird let out a laugh. Even as the flirty hero, Adrien's kindness still shone through. "I doubt you would be 'lost', Ladybug's a smart girl. I don't need your praise, Alleycat, but I do appreciate it. I just wanted to get my thoughts out there." She turned her head but out to the street as Chat Noir frowned. "I just want you to know you're very much important in our dynamic, even if you work from afar." The blond said as he leaned against the building, with a small pout on his face. Hummingbird smiled, enjoying the company of her hero friend. </p><p>     "I'm glad you think so highly of me, Chat." Hummingbird softly whispered as she turned to smile at him, and under the soft moonlight and glow of the street, she could see his cheeks turn a light pink. "Ah, well. Anything to cheer you up, <em>mon colibri doux</em>." Chat Noir told her with a smirk. Hummingbird rolled her eyes and looked back at the civilians. As a comfortable silence fell between them, she could feel the cool night breeze freshen her up as it blew against her face. That night, for the longest time in a while, Hummingbird was at peace, while her normally loud thoughts were drowned out by the street below. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Vanisher & Antibug</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Before she could sit down, the invisible figure tried to grab Chloé's sunglasses, dragging the blonde to the teacher's desk. The figure then started to pull the blonde's hair, and Ms. Mendeleiev let out an exasperated sigh. "Compose yourself, Miss Bourgeois." She said, but the class started to laugh as Chloé let out a wail and ran out of the classroom. Y/n watched something push Adrien's test to the side as the faint echo of footprints followed Chloé.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>long chapter to make up for my disappearance! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     "Okay, what's the liver's role in the digestive system?" Alya asked as she looked down at her notes, and Y/n looked at the table in concentration. "It... absorbs amino acids to the bloodstream..?" Y/n asked hesitantly, and Marinette shook her head. "That's the small intestine." The bluenette told her as Y/n groaned. "Why does the test have to be on a Friday?" She mumbled to herself as Alya shrugged and took a sip of her tea. The three girls were studying together at a cafe, preparing for tomorrow's test.</p><p>     "You got this, Y/n! Just think. If the small intestine absorbs amino acids, that means the liver...?" Marinette coaxed, and Y/n stared at the bluenette blankly before letting out a small gasp. "The liver regulates the distribution of amino acids!" The girl beamed, and Alya nodded happily as Marinette clapped for Y/n. A couple nearby tables glanced at the girls, some with a glare, but they mostly kept to themselves. "Just review the notes a couple of times, you'll be fine." Alya reassured, and Y/n hummed in agreement as she took a bite out of her (flavor) muffin. </p><p>     "Hey, Y/n... Don't be obvious but that boy to your right keeps looking at you." Marinette whispered. Y/n and Alya looked at the bluenette in confusion, and Y/n shifted in her seat to sneakily glance at the boy. He wore a Jagged Stone tshirt over a white collared shirt, black baggy pants, and a red beanie over his coily black hair. "Hm... Are you sure he's looking at me? He seems like an upperclassman, maybe even a college student." Y/n told them as she went back to reviewing her notes. The two girls looked back at the boy, and Alya nodded as he glanced their way. </p><p>     "Definitely looking at you." The brunette said, and Y/n rolled her eyes. "I really do doubt it. Come on, let's finish this review." Y/n told them. Alya and Marinette shrugged as they started to get back to work. After fifteen minutes, Y/n sighed as she slouched in her chair. She put down her pencil and stared at it blankly as her friends kept working. Suddenly, Y/n jumped as a soft hand tapped her shoulder. Y/n straightened her posture as she looked at the boy with the red beanie. "Oh, sorry to bother you! I just wanted to let you know you dropped your wallet on the ground." He pointed out with a deep voice.</p><p>     Y/n's face turned a soft shade of pink as the boy grabbed it and handed it to her. "Uh, thank you! I... like your hat?" She awkwardly added, silently cursing herself as Alya and Marinette began to grin. The boy with the beanie smiled. "Thanks, I like your shoes." He added before giving one last wave and heading back to his table. Y/n ignored her friends and went back to doing her biology review, Alya and Marinette watching her intently. <em>My shoes? Really?</em> Y/n thought to herself as she glanced down at her busted up sneakers.</p><p>     "Y/nnnn. Come on, go talk to him!" Alya whispered to the girl, and she simply shook her head. "I'm fine. Besides, did you hear his voice? He has to be <em>at least</em> a senior. I've never met a freshman with a voice that deep." Y/n mumbled. Marinette let out a giggle as she picked up her pencil. "It's nearly the end of the year and I <em>still</em> don't get your American slang." Y/n smiled at the bluenette before shrugging. "Well, 'thirteenth year' and 'tenth year' don't roll off the tongue so easily."</p><p>     "Y/n, stop changing the conversation. We're trying to hook you up here girl!" Alya said with a huff as she grabbed Y/n's pencil and set it down. "Hook me up with what? A case? I'm good." Marinette laughed, and Alya playfully rolled her eyes at the girl's sarcasm. "Sure his voice is deep, but he had a young face! He's probably year eleven or something. Besides, you've been here the whole school year and you're very attractive. You'd think you'd have a boyfriend by now." Y/n stared blankly at Alya before letting out a laugh.</p><p>     "Wh—  <em>Me? Attractive?</em> Yeah right. The only thing I have going for me is that foreign student vibe, which is not that special. You need new glasses." The girl told her before grabbing her pencil back from Alya and going back to work. "What? Y/n, I agree with Alya. You're beautiful! How do you not see that?" At Marinette's words, Y/n turned a bright pink. She kept her eyes on her paper as she tried to calm down. "Now you're just saying that to give me an ego boost." She mumbled, but Marinette was quick to shake her head. "I swear, I'm being honest! You've definitely caught the eyes of a lot of guys around you."</p><p>     "Like Chat Noir, for example." Alya said with a smirk. At that point, Y/n's blush faded and the girl rolled her eyes. "That's a good one. I have not caught anyone's eye, and definitely not Chat Noir's. Can we please get back to work?" The girl pleaded, but Alya shook her head. "You two have some chemistry between you. I know I'm not crazy because Nino see's it too. There's something you're not telling us, Y/n."</p><p>     The girl sat quietly as she tought at Alya's last sentence. <em>There's something you're not telling us, Y/n.</em> "...Well... There <em>is</em> something I want to tell you guys, but it's unrelated to Chat Noir." She began, her heart starting to race as she thought about the next words that will leave her mouth. Alya and Marinette noticed the girl's distress and they sat up, looking at her patiently and worried. "What is it?" Marinette softly coaxed the girl as Y/n started to turn pink and got flustered. <em>Why is this so hard? Just say it!</em> "I— ...I'm—"</p><p>     Before another word could escape her, all of the phones in the café began chime. The all too familiar tone alerted everyone of the akuma attack, and people began to pick up their stuff and leave.  "Oh shoot! It's ten blocks from here! I'm really sorry, Y/n, I should probably head out if I wanna get some action for my Ladyblog." Alya frowned as she started to put away her notebooks into her bag. Marinette rapidly nodded as she jolted up out of her seat. "I also need to leave! I realized that, uh, I left uhm, my shoes in the dryer! Yeah!"</p><p>     Y/n softly smiled at the bluenette as she understandingly nodded. "Yeah, I get it! See you guys tomorrow!" Alya gave the girl one last sad glance as she gave Y/n a hug. "Bye girl!" She said before running out the café. "Bye Y/n!" Marinette called out with a wave as she sprinted out of the building. By now the café was nearly empty, and you could hear some people scream in the streets. Y/n softly sighed as she started to put her notebook away. </p><p>     "You tried." Vinca squeaked as Y/n opened the zipper of the bag. Y/n jumped at the sudden response as she pushed the bag under the table. "Vinca, shhh!" Y/n whispered as a pair walked past her. The girl looked out the window and made eye contact with the black boy in the beanie one last time. He smiled at her and she gave him a wave as he ran away from the action. "Are you gonna...?" Vinca whispered, and Y/n contemplated it before shaking her head. "Nah, let's help evacuate and then go home."</p><hr/><p>     <em>...What are the three main functions of the nervous system?</em> Y/n read the question with furrowed brows. "Whoa, look at Chloé." Marinette quietly whispered, getting the attention of Y/n and Alya. Chloé had her head on the desk, her test to the side as the blonde stared off into space. "That girl is a total rag." Alya whispered back. Y/n watched the blonde girl slowly blink before bringing her attention back to the test. "Maybe she's missing her BFF?" Marinette continued to speculate. </p><p>     "Sabrina have been absent since yesterday, huh?" Alya concluded before Ms. Mendeleiev shushed them. The two girls awkwardly giggled as an apology, and went back to their tests. Suddenly, Chloé let out a yelp as her hair got pulled. "Ow!" The blonde shouted as she jolted up in her seat. The class looked at her in confusion and Ms. Mendeleiev walked up to her. "What is it, Chloé?" The teacher asked. "Someone pulled my hair!" Chloé frowned, and the teacher shot a disappointing look at Mylène. </p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     "I didn't do it, Ms. M." The petite girl defended, and Chloé shook her head. "It wasn't her, it's-it's some invisible mystical being. Like a leprechaun. Or a unicorn without the horn." At her words the class started laughing at her. Y/n frowned as she looked around the room for some kind of presence. "Quiet, everyone! Eyes on your papers!" Ms. Mendeleiev scolded as she walked back to the front of the class. Chloé tried to focus on her test but something started to yank her purse. "Oh, it's happening again. Oh, wah!" The blonde yelped as she was dragged out of her seat.</p>
  <p>     "Chloé, sit down!" Ms. Mendeleiev yelled, but the blonde shook her head as the purse began to smack her. "I can't! My purse is beating me up!" She whined, and out of the corner of her eye Y/n could see Adrien and Marinette frown at the strange situation. Chloé then ran to a corner of the classroom, screaming as Juleka's pen was thrown at her. More things were thrown her way as Chloé ran down the aisle. "Chloé, we don't run in the classroom! Get back to your seat!" The teacher scolded once again, and Chloé frowned as she walked back to her seat. </p>
  <p>     Before she could sit down, the invisible figure tried to grab Chloé's sunglasses, dragging the blonde to the teacher's desk. The figure then started to pull the blonde's hair, and Ms. Mendeleiev let out an exasperated sigh. "Compose yourself, Miss Bourgeois." She said, but the class started to laugh as Chloé let out a wail and ran out of the classroom. Y/n watched something push Adrien's test to the side as the faint echo of footprints followed Chloé. The door slammed shut, and Adrien's hand shot up into the air.</p>
  <p>     "Miss, please, I have to go to the restroom." Adrien asked politely. Ms. Mendeleiev nodded and went back to the front of the class with a sigh. "Thank you." Adrien told her as he walked out of the classroom and closed the door behind him. "So do I, please?" Marinette said and ran to the door. The science teacher looked at the bluenette hesitantly before giving her permission to go. The class went silent as they returned to their tests, the only sound being Y/n anxiously bouncing her leg. "I need to go too!" The girl yelled, standing up as she set down her pencil.</p>
  <p>     Y/n realized her mistake as she made eye contact with Ms. Mendeleiev skeptical eyes. <em>Why the fuck did I do that? Marinette and Adrien got this, I might as well stay and finish this stupid test...</em> "Miss L/n, there's already three students out of the classroom, I couldn't possibly let another one ou—" The teacher began to say, but Y/n bit her lip as she leaned onto the desk and looked at Ms. Mendeleiev desperately. "I'm having bad period cramps!!" Y/n yelled, turning pink from embarrassment as the classroom looked at her in surprise. <em>Welp, no turning back now.</em></p>
  <p>     Ms. Mendeleiev looked at the girl with wide eyes, shocked at Y/n's sudden outburst. "Uhm, I—I see. Please, help yourself. And next time, just tell me, no need to yell." She granted, and Y/n nodded quickly as she grabbed her backpack and ran out of the classroom. The girl let out a huff as she went inside the nearest janitor's closet and slumped down against the door. "I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST DID THAT!" Y/n whisper-yelled as Vinca flew out of the backpack with a giggle. "Period cramps? Really?" The kwami teased, but Y/n shook her head with flushed cheeks. </p>
  <p>     "DO YOU KNOW HOW EMBARRASSING THAT WAS?! ALYA WILL NEVER LET ME LIVE THAT DOWN!" The girl whined, but before the conversation could continue, her phone got a notification. Y/n opened the messages, revealing a collection of photos of Chloé being tormented by the invisible person. "I didn't think you'd help out today. You were complaining about this test since last week." Vinca said with surprise as she looked at the photos with Y/n.</p>
  <p>     The girl let out a loud groan as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't know why I stood up, I just did. I <em>cannot</em> go back to class after what I just said." Y/n frowned. She rubbed her face in exasperation as she put away her phone, and Vinca gave the girl another smirk as she flew out in front of her. "Just say the words." The teal kwami said, and Y/n quietly sighed. "Vinca, let's fly!"</p>
</div><hr/><p>     "Damaging my daughter's reputation is the same as soiling the reputation of the Mayor of Paris, umm, which is me. And an attack on Chloé is an attack on Paris." The mayor said in front of a crowd of people. Hummingbird watched Chat Noir and Ladybug leap down next to him, ready for action. "We'll find the culprit, Mr. Bourgeois. You have my word." Chat Noir told him with a smirk, and the teal heroine saw that as an opportunity to make her entrance.</p><p>     She dropped down behind her allies and Ladybug looked at her with surprise. "Hummingbird?" The bluenette said with a smiled, and Hummingbird gave her a smirk. "A little birdy told me you could use some help." She told them, and Chat Noir beamed at her play on words. "Right, this way!" The mayor said with a nervous smile and led the three heroes into the hotel. They followed him into the elevator and quietly walked to Chloé's room.</p><p>     "Chloé, my darling. We got special guests for you." Mayor Bourgeois said with a smile, and Chloé popped her head out from behind one of the couches. "Ladybug!" The blonde said with a beam, tackling Ladybug into a hug. "I knew you'd come to save me! You know, considering what good friends we are!" The blonde said happily. Ladybug awkwardly nodded and pushed the blonde off of her. For a split second, Chloé made eye contact with Hummingbird and tensed, but she quickly led the trio to her closet.</p><p>     Hummingbird pushed the doors of it open to investigate as the blonde took constant pictures of Ladybug. "I have to put out an emergency call to all the biggest designers. Can you imagine? My daughter wearing department-store clothing? How humiliating." The mayor told Chat Noir, and Hummingbird discreetly rolled her eyes at his words. Ladybug let out an annoyed sigh as she pushed Chloé off of her once again, and the bluenette walked over to the television, turning the four sections of the screen to various areas in the hotel where the invisible presence could be hidden.</p><p>     "Have you had any run-ins with anyone lately?" Ladybug asked, and Chloé glanced over at Hummingbird hesitantly before shaking her head. "I never have run-ins with anyone. Everybody absolutely loves me." The blonde said with a smirk. Hummingbird bent down to pick up a photo of Chloé and Sabrina off the floor and looked at the blonde with an eyebrow raised. "Really? Not even with your closest friend?" She asked, handing the photo back to Chloé. "Ah, Sabrina? Impossible. She adores me, I'm her idol!" Chloé giggled as she dropped the photo back onto the floor. </p><p>     Ladybug let out a defeated sigh before turning to face the Mayor. "Your daughter's safe here with the doors and windows locked. This enemy may be invisible, but it can't go through walls." She assured him, and Chloé tackled Ladybug into another hug. "I'm sure you'll make my life perfect again! Just like it was before!" The blonde beamed. Ladybug nodded and pushed her off as she began to walk away. On her way out, Ladybug grabbed Chat Noir and Hummingbird by their forearms and led them to the elevator. </p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     "Is something up? You seem…" Chat Noir began to frown, and Ladybug nodded at his statement. "She's hiding something." Ladybug said as she ran through scenarios in her mind. Hummingbird perked up as an idea came to mind, and she pressed the button to open the elevator doors. "I have an idea." She told the two as they all walked in, and Hummingbird pressed the button to go to the lobby. They all stood patiently, and as soon as the doors opened, Hummingbird led the heroes to one of Chloé's butlers. </p>
</div><p>     "Hummingbird, you genius!" Ladybug beamed as they approached the man. The heroine bashfully smiled at the compliment as Ladybug got the butler's attention. "Butler Jean, is it? We need you to provide some information. Whatever you tell us won't go any farther than this room." The bluenette reassured. The butler hesitated, but nonetheless nodded and complied. "Mademoiselle did have a run-in with someone. Miss Chloé and her friend Sabrina like to impersonate Ladybug and Chat Noir. I was playing the part of Big Mustachio that day."</p><p>     Before he could continue, Hummingbird let out a snort. "Big Mustachio?" She asked with a cheeky grin, and the butler shrugged. "One of Mademoiselle's ideas. Big Mustachio want all Parisians to be deface with heinous mustaches." He explained, and Chat Noir smirked. "Wow, what a hairy situation." The blond hero chuckled, and Ladybug let out a quiet sigh as she rolled her eyes. "Please go on."</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <hr/>
  <p>     <em>Big Mustachio let out a breath of relief as the elevator doors opened. He soon realized his mistake in choosing the dining hall to hide in because Nadja Chamack and a camera man was shooting an interview with Jagged Stone. "Thank you for granting this exclusive interview for your upcoming album, Mr. Stone. Can you tell us how—?" Nadja was distracted by the butler running into the room, and hiding behind the service elevator. Not too long after, Chloé dressed as Ladybug and Sabrina dressed as Chat Noir burst into the room from the stairwell. </em></p>
  <p>
    <em>     "Jagged Stone!" Chloé gawked, and the rockstar smiled at her. "Ladybug! What are you doing here?" He asked, and Chloé stood there in shock. "Um… when I found out you were here, I knew you wanted to see me! I have to come and say hello." The blonde smirked and Jagged smiled. "Well, you did the right thing. Hey, what's the dealio with your hair?" He asked, pointing the the ponytail, and Chloé started to get nervous as Nadja and the camera man held the focus on her.</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>     "Oh, ah… ha. The old hair was so drab. This color is amazing." Chloé smiled as she crawled over Jagged to sit in the center of the couch. She whipped her hair around to show off the blonde locks, but accidentally slapped Jagged Stone in the process. "Don't you think? I got a few minutes to spare. I'm sure you'd jump at the chance to interview me!" Chloé smiled, but the rockstar looked at her in confusion. "Hey, wait! I thought you're coming by to say hi to me?" He said, and Chloé nodded. "And I did! Now where were we?" The blonde smirked, winking at the camera.</em>
  </p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     "She pretended she was me?! How often does that happen?" Ladybug said in shock. Hummingbird let out a small giggle as the butler shrugged. "She idolizes you." He briefly explained. "I didn't exactly take Chloé as the cosplay type." Hummingbird mumbled, earning a soft chuckle from Chat Noir. </p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     <em>"Chloé, I found Big Mustachio!" Sabrina beamed as she pulled out Butler Jean from behind the service elevator. At Sabrina's words Nadja and Jagged turned to Chloé with a glare. "Chloé? But—" Jagged stone began to frown, and Nadja angrily cut him off. "You're not Ladybug! You're a fake!" The woman told the blonde teen as she grabbed her pen back from Chloé. "No, I'm not! I'm Ladybug! Look!" The blonde defended as she stood up. She took out her yo-yo and started bouncing it, accidentally hitting Jagged's crocodile in the process. </em></p>
  <p>
    <em>     The reptile got annoyed and bit the yo-yo's string, the remaining part of the string hitting Chloé right in her eye. Nadja and Jagged began to laugh as the blonde ran off crying, taking her mask off in the process. Sabrina let go of Jean's arm and followed her. Butler Jean took off his glasses and watched the two girls go to Chloé's room. "But, Chloé, how was I suppose to know?" Sabrina frowned as she peeked into the room. "That's the problem! You never know anything! Ah, that crocodile has a larger brain than you! Get out! I never want to see you again!" Chloé screamed, throwing her string at the door as Sabrina ran off, crying.</em>
  </p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     "Mademoiselle does argue with her friend Sabrina at times. I'd even go so far to say that it's the norm," The butler sighed, exasperated of the blonde girl's usual behavior with her friend. "But it was different this time. Sabrina came back the next day…"</p>
  <hr/>
  <p> <em>    "Sabrina, who? I don't know any Sabrina." Chloé said stubbornly as she looked out her window with crossed arms. Sabrina stood anxiously at the door of Chloe's room with the butler. "But, of course you do, Chloé. It's me. Your BFF!" The redhead told her, taking off her rose pin and showing it to Chloé. The butler approached the blonde girl and leaned into her ear. "You should talk to her, Mademoiselle. She's right here." Jean advised in a whisper. Chloé turned back around to face Sabrina and hesitated. "I don't see anyone, she must be invisible! As far as I'm concerned, she doesn't even exist!" Sorrowfully, Sabrina sighed and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. </em></p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     "This invisible person is obviously Sabrina." Ladybug pointed out, and Chat Noir hummed in agreement. "Who's been akumatized by Hawk Moth." Hummingbird nodded, and stared blankly out the door. "Now the real question is, how do we find her?" The heroine softly asked, and Ladybug processed the question before turning to face Butler Jean. "You've been a great help to us. Thanks." The bluenette told him, and the butler nodded and wished the heroes good luck. As Hummingbird and Ladybug brainstormed their next move, Chat Noir walked over to a vase and grabbed two roses. </p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     "It's not going to be easy to find someone we can't see." The blond said, handing each of the roses to the two heroines. Hummingbird stared at the flower for a second, surprised that Chat Noir gave it to her. Meanwhile, Ladybug instantly put the flower into another vase. "So we'll just have to wait for her to find us. And we do have an advantage, she doesn't know we're onto her." Ladybug concluded as Hummingbird discreetly put the rose in her hair. The bluenette started to lead Hummingbird and Chat Noir out the door, but the blond hero turned around as Ladybug's rose fell to the floor. "Huh?"</p>
  <p>    "What?" Ladybug asked, and Chat Noir stared at flower for a minute. "Uh, the flower. It—" While the hero was talking, Hummingbird brought her attention to Ladybug's hair slowly lifting up. "Look out Ladybug!" The heroine yelled, and Ladybug jumped in surprise but was quick to bring her yo-yo out into action. Chat Noir followed soon, taking his staff out and spinning it to become a shield. The invisible girl began to throw vases at the heroes, all of them deflecting them with their weapons. "Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called out, and luckily the magical ladybugs gifted her a container of glitter. "How handy."</p>
  <p>     "Looking for me Sabrina? I'm right here, come on!" Chloé, who was wearing her Ladybug costume, yelled from the top of the staircase. "Wha—? Blondie, get out of here!" Hummingbird told the girl, annoyed as she dodged another vase. "If you stop this ridiculousness right now, I might let you be my BFF again." The blonde girl cockiky said, but Vanisher ignored her words and began to throw books at the heroes. "You've got no friends left, Chloé. And you'll never have any, EVER again. I'll make sure of that." The invisible villain taunted. The three heroes surrounded the blonde, protecting her as Hummingbird and Chat Noir looked for Vanisher.</p>
  <p>     "You don't scare me! Everybody loves me." Chloé yelled to the villain as Ladybug dragged her behind a pillar, and the two heroes protecting them lost sight of Vanisher. "This isn't a game, Chloé!" The bluenette scolded, but suddenly a pair of hands restrained Ladybug. "It's over, Ladybug!" Vanisher's voice rang as the heroine tried to escape from the villains grasp. "Not yet, Vanisher!" Ladybug yelled as she opened her glitter container. She then threw it over her head, causing glitter to rain down and form an outline in Vanisher. Ladybug used the distraction as a chance to get out of the villains grasp.</p>
  <p>     "Just because you can see me, doesn't mean you'll defeat me Ladybug!" Vanisher taunted. Chat Noir stood between Vanisher and Ladybug as Hummingbird discreetly grabbed Chloé's arm and dragged her away from the action. "Look who's come to the rescue." Vanisher smirked, and Hummingbird sat Chloé down behind a different pillar. "Stay." The heroine ordered before running back to help Chat Noir and Ladybug. "Hey! What do I look like to you, a dog?! This concerns me too, you know!" The blonde angrily called out to her. </p>
  <p>     "We just have to destroy her bag and capture the akuma." Ladybug told her partner as Hummingbird joined them, Chloé following after her. "Wait, Ladybug! I don't think that's where the akuma is." The blonde told her as she spinner her yo-yo, but Chloé accidentally let it slip from her hands and it hit Vanisher's head. "So, you wanna fight after all, Chloé?" The villain smirked, and Hummingbird let out a huff as she pushed Chloé behind her. "Can you handle this, Chat Noir, Hummingbird?" Ladybug asked, and Hummingbird gave her a nod.</p>
  <p>     "With pleasure my lady." Chat Noir smirked, and he and Hummingbird went to restrain Vanisher as Ladybug wrapped her yo-yo around Chloé and led her to the elevator. "But wait! The akuma has to be in the designer pin I bought her. She's wearing it on her sweater. Such an unfortunate ugly sweater. It was a gift from me." The blonde told her, but Ladybug glared at her. "I won't tell you again Chloé, so listen up. You need to leave! You're putting yourself in great danger and us too. Got it?" The bluenette concluded, pressing the elevator doors closed.</p>
  <p>     "Why aren't you listening to me? I'm telling you, the akuma is in her pin!" Chloé yelled, the screams coming out muffled on the other side. "Oh, that's better." Ladybug sighed before running back to the other heroes, who were still fighting Vanisher. The villain stuck a pot on Chat Noir's head and Hummingbird restrained Vanisher. Ladybug took the chance to grab Vanisher's purse and rip it in half. "Your days are over akuma! Huh?" The bluenette looked at the purse in confusion, and Hummingbird shook her head. "Ladybug, the pin!" She advised. </p>
  <p>     Ladybug nodded and grabbed the pin off of Vanisher's vest. The bluenette threw it to the floor, stomped on it, and let loose the little black akuma. "No more evildoing for you little akuma. Time to de-evilize!" Ladybug called out as she started her sequence. Chat Noir managed to get the vase off his head and Hummingbird let go of Vanisher. "Gotcha! Bye, bye little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" After catching the akuma the bluenette threw the glitter container in the air and the magical Ladybugs turned everything back to normal. </p>
  <p>     "Uh, what happened? What am I doing here? Oh no! It's the brooch Chloé gave me!" Sabrina gasped as she picked up her pin. Ladybug smiled at the work well done as she held her fist up to Chat Noir and Hummingbird. "Why didn't you listen to Chloé? She was only trying to help." Chat Noir asked with a frown, and the bluenette looked at him in confusion as Hummingbird nodded in agreement. "He has a point." She mumbled, and Ladybug crossed her arms with a huff. "First, because that girl put us in danger. And second, she completely lied to us earlier. I was not gonna listen to a liar."</p>
  <p>     Ladybug started to walk out, and Chat Noir and Hummingbird shared a look before shrugging and following the bluenette. "Coming to you live from the hotel where Ladybug, Hummingbird, and Chat Noir have just defeated Vanisher. Here they are now." Nadja beamed as the cameramen pointed their camera at the three heroes. "Ladybug! Ladybug!" They chanted, trying to gain her attention. "Ladybug, please tell us how you managed to defeat Vanisher today!" Nadja asked as she held her microphone up to Ladybug. </p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     "Well, Chat Noir and I, we're an unstoppable team. And with Hummingbird as an ally, there's nothing we can't conquer." Ladybug smiled as she sheepishly looked at the camera. Hummingbird could feel a blush rise to her cheeks as she adverted her attention to a clock on the sidewalk. <em>Two pm... Maybe if I hurry I can finish the rest of my test after school.</em> "Hey Chat, I better get going." Hummingbird mumbled to the blond, and he gave her a small wave and smile. "Thanks for helping us out today, <em>colibri</em>." He winked, and Hummingbird halfheartedly rolled her eyes before waving a goodbye to the public and jumping onto a roof. </p>
  <p>     Ladybug watched the heroine run out of sight, and was brought back to reality when her earrings beeped. "Excuse me, I gotta go. Bug out!" Ladybug waved, and Nadja gave her a smile. "Thank you Ladybug." The reporter told her as the heroine grabbed her yo-yo, preparing to leave, but a figure on the edge of a balcony grabbed her attention. "Ha ha ha ha! If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have defeated Vanisher. And now, I'm going to defeat you!"</p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     "Chloé?" Ladybug and Chat Noir muttered in disbelief, but the villain shook her head with a smirk. "Wrong, super wrong. I am Antibug!" The blonde flaunted, and Ladybug looked at Chat in distress as her earrings let out another beep. "We've got an emergency here. I'm about to change back." The heroine told Chat Noir, and the blond hero gave her a nod. "Go ahead, I can take care of her. Find a way to contact Hummingbird, we could really use her help."</p>
  <p>     "Look at that. She's nothing without Chat Noir." Antibug teased, and Ladybug shot her a glare as she prepared her yo-yo for an escape. "We'll see each other again soon, trust me!" The blonde villain smirked as Chat Noir pulled out his staff. "Looks like it's just you and me now, Antibug." He said as the people around him started to evacuate. "I love a good catfight!" Antibug yelled, and the two of them started to fight. As more people began to run, Ladybug landed in an empty alleyway and detransformed.</p>
  <p>     "Oh no! I don't have any food for you Tikki!" Marinette frowned as she looked through her empty bag. The small red kwami looked at the bluenette tiredly and softly yawned. "Don't worry Marinette, you'll find something." She reassured with a soft smile. "Uh, I'll try." Marinette sighed as she gently placed Tikki into her bag. She pulled out her phone and opened the news broadcast, ignoring the texs from Alya. "Hummingbird left, and Ladybug has disappeared. How is Chat Noir going to get out of this on his own?" </p>
  <p>     "Uh, this is all my fault!" Marinette said with an anxious frown as Tikki poked her head out from the purse. "You don't have to do everything yourself. There's no harm in listening to others from time to time." The kwami tried to comfort, but the bluenette let out a sigh of frustration. "You're right Tikki, but right now we have to go and help Cat Noir. We'll find you something to eat at the hotel." Marinette said, pocketing her phone and closing her purse as she made her way back to the hotel. </p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     "Let's land!" Y/n whispered as she leaned against a building in the empty alleyway. Thankfully, her school backpack reappeared and Vinca landed softly in Y/n's hands. "Do you have any food on you?" The teal kwami asked as Y/n took her backpack off. "Uh... I have half a bag of crushed goldfish?" The girl said with an awkward smile as she pulled out a ziplock bag from the front pocket. Vinca eyed it carefully before shrugging. "Meh, I'll take it." Y/n gently placed the kwami in the big pocket with the ziplock bag and started to make her way back to the school.</p>
  <p>     <em>Time to think for some excuses for Adrien and Marinette. </em>Y/n sighed to herself as she scrolled through her notifications, a majority of them being texts from Alya and Nino. Suddenly, an akuma alert took over phone screen, showing the location of the akuma. Y/n looked at her phone wide eyed as she the hotel's address in red. "Another one? You're kidding me." She mumbled to herself as she opened the new's live boradcast and continued to make her way to school. <em>There's no way I'm skipping more of class. Ladybug and Chat Noir got this one.</em></p>
  <p>     "Hummingbird left, and Ladybug has disappeared. How is Chat Noir going to get out of this on his own?" Nadja Chamack said through the phone screen, and Y/n felt annoyance and panic bubble up inside of her at the sound of her hero name. She looked around the street, and discreetly walked into another empty alleyway. "I forgot Ladybug used her Lucky Charm, so Chat's on his own." Y/n said as she took off her backpack and opened the large pocket. Upon opening the pocket she was met with Vinca, who's face and arms were covered in goldfish dust.</p>
  <p>     "Are you gonna go help out?" The kwami asked with a full mouth. "One, gross. Two, what choice do I have?" Y/n sighed as she took the kwami out the backpack. "Okay, rude. You're the one who gave me goldish dust to re-energize." Vinca said with a frown as she dusted herself off. "Speaking of which, do you think you have enough energy to transform?" Y/n asked, zipping up her bag back up and throwing it over her shoulders. "Well, you didn't use the power so I feel fine." Vinca nodded, and Y/n have her a reluctant smile. "Well in that case, Vinca, let's fly!"</p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     "Hurry up Tikki." Marinette rushed as she watched Antibug and Chat Noir anxiously. The villain currently had the hero tied to his staff and dangling off the edge of the building. Antibug was standing on the other side to balance and keep Chat Noir up, but it's only a matter of time until the blonde steps off and lets Chat fall to his doom. "I'm eating as fast as I can!" Tikki said with a frown, her cheeks filled with the cookie Marinette stole from the kitchen. </p>
  <p>     "Aren't you tired of playing second fiddle to Ladybug?" Antibug asked with an evil smirk as she jumped up and down on the staff. "And aren't you tired of copying Ladybug?!" Chat Noir grunted as he tried to break out of the restraints, the seesaw motion making him a little dizzy. "Team up with me, Chat Noir!" The blonde yelled again, but the hero shook his head and glared at her. "Never! Not with a fake like you. Ladybug and I are a team. Let's hope the real deal shows up soon."</p>
  <p>     At his words, Antibug grabbed the staff and started to dangle him upside down, causing Chat to whimper. "I know you can hear me Lady-brat, wherever you are. You're going to have to choose. If you want to keep Chat Noir alive, you'll have to give me your Miraculous. And if you refuse, well then take a good look at Chat Noir, because this will be the last you'll ever see of him. I'm going to count to ten! One…!"</p>
  <p>     "Uh… could you make that 20?" Chat Noir asked softly, blood starting to rush into his head. "Two…!" Antibug continued, and Marinette felt her heart begin to pound in her chest as she looked at Tikki desperately. "I need more time! Go save Chat Noir, Marinette!" The kwami advised, but the bluenette anxiously shook her head. "But I can't transform!" Marinette told her with a frown, and Tikki gave her a reassuring smile. "You are Ladybug, with or without the costume!"</p>
  <p>     "I think I'd know if I was able to…" The bluenette began to panic, and she turned back to face the blonde villain. "Three...!" She continued to count, and Tikki placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder. "I'm giving you advice, now take it! Don't make the same mistake twice!" Marinette let out a sigh as she looked out into the horizon. An idea started to form in her mind and she felt relief wash over her as she made eye contact with a familiar teal and green hero. Hummingbird gave Marinette a reassuring nod from the building she stood on, and Marinette pulled out her phone giving her back her confidence. "Got an idea!" Marinette beamed, pulling out her phone.</p>
  <p>     "Four…!" Antibug continued to count, and Marinette set her phone down and ran off. "Chat Noir and I, we're an unstoppable team. And with Hummingbird as an ally, there's nothing we can't conquer." The familiar voice echoed, catching the attention of the blond villain. "Ladybug…" She said with a smirk. Antibug set a couch on the end of Chat Noir's staff and went off to find Ladybug. Chat Noir let out a sigh of relief, and a soft pair of footsteps landed on the building. "Ladybug?" Chat Noir mumbled hopefully as his ropes were getting untied, and Hummingbird held back the urge to roll her eyes.</p>
  <p>     "Guess again, kitty cat. Sorry I left so early. I didn't think there'd be two akuma attacks in a row." Hummingbird whispered to the blond with a smile as she helped him get back on his two feet. Chat Noir beamed as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're fine! Good to know you're still here to save my tail. Now let's kick some Anti-butt." The blond hero kicked up his staff and caught it with a smirk.</p>
  <p>     "Cat Noir and I, we're an unstoppable team. And with Hummingbird as an ally, there's nothing we can't conquer." Ladybug recited again. Antibug turned the corner, and her face began to redden when she realized it was a video playing on the phone. "So, you think you're so smart, huh? Show yourself, bug-face!" The blonde villain screamed, and she let out a gasp when she turned around and realized Chat Noir was let loose. "Ready for round two?" He smirked, and he and Hummingbird lunged at Antibug, fighting and leading her to the roof.</p>
  <p>     "Bad kitty! Come here to get your leash back." Antibug yelled, as she pulled out her yo-yo. <em>Kinky.</em> "Sorry, but I don't take any orders from a mere copycat." Chat Noir retorted, Hummingbird off to the side chuckling at her own thoughts. Antibug threw her yo-yo at Hummingbird, but it was luckily deflected by Ladybug's. "Nice yo-yo, mine's better!" The bluenette said with a smirk as Hummingbird sheepishly smiled and regained her composure. "What kept you?" Chat Noir asked.</p>
  <p>     "I'm thinking the akuma's in the yo-yo." Ladybug told the two heroes, completely avoiding Chat Noir's question. "Nah, I'm thinking it's in her earrings." Hummingbird spoke, and Ladybug looked at her in confusion. "Why?" The bluenette asked, and the heroine pointed at the villain's earrings. "She was already wearing them when she was akumatized, and her yo-yo was destroyed before she transformed." Hummingbird explained to her, and Ladybug gave her a smirk. "Ah, pretty good advice."</p>
  <p>     "Glad to be of service." Hummingbird said with a soft smile. The conversation was cut short as Antibug threw her yo-yo at them. The three heroes split up, dodging the attack as the blonde used her yo-yo to pull the pool cover on. Ladybug jumped onto the glass and started to lunge herself at Antibug. Hummingbird stood next to Chat awkwardly as he watched the two fight. "Shouldn't we help her or something? Or are we just going to stand here?"</p>
  <p>     "Meh, M'lady has this in the bag. Might as well." Chat Noir responded coyly as Ladybug called out her Lucky Charm. The swarm of ladybugs dropped a bag of marbles in the bluenette's hands as Hummingbird leaned against her bow with a huff. "I don't get it. What's the point of hanging around if all we're gonna do is spectate?" The heroine muttered as Antibug called out her "Anti-Charm!" The black ladybugs dropped a gigantic sword, and Chat Noir looked at Hummingbird with soft eyes. "Well... I enjoy your company!"</p>
  <p>     "A bag of marbles? What am I supposed to do with this?" Ladybug muttered to herself as she looked around the area, an idea forming in her mind. <em>I feel useless. There has to be something I can do...</em> "I see you're still wearing the flower I gave you." Chat Noir smirked. "I am?" Hummingbird mumbled in surprise as she brought a hand up to her hair. Sure enough, the rose was still tucked in neatly. "Oh... I guess I am." The heroine brushed off as she went back to watching the two bugs. "Hahahahaha! What? You're going to defeat me with marbles? Child's play."</p>
  <p>     "Well, it suits you. Really brings out the color of your eyes." Chat Noir complimented as he gave her a soft smile, and Hummingbird softly rolled her eyes. The blond turned back to watch Ladybug but leaned in to Hummingbird's ear. "<em>Mais même cette fleur n'est pas aussi jolie que toi</em>." He whispered to her with a smirk, and Hummingbird could feel her cheeks flare. She kept her eyes on Ladybug, not sure how to react to that interaction. "See that's your downfall, you're always so quick to judge." Ladybug smiles, and she starts running towards Chat Noir. Antibug also charged at her, sword in hand.</p>
  <p>     "Over to you!" Ladybug yelled as she threw the bag of marbles at her partner. "Got it!" Chat Noir yelled, and he smacked the bag with his staff, causing it to spill the marbles. The small glass balls went flying everywhere, and Antibug fell down as she accidentally dropped her sword. "I'll take that." Hummingbird said with a smirk as she pinned the large sword under her foot. "See? You're nothing without your Chat Noir! Or your little pigeon too." Antibug complained, and Ladybug smirked as she wrapped an arm around the blond's shoulders. "Chat Noir and I are a team. If you take me on, you take Chat Noir on too. As for Hummingbird, she's a selfless ally who I can always count on. It's not my problem if you don't have any friends."</p>
  <p>     Ladybug and Chat Noir smiled at each other, but were interrupted as the bluenette's earrings rang, Antibug's too. "Cataclysm!" Chat Noir yelled, pressing his hands again the pool cover the villain sat on. "Ah!" Antibug yelped, and Ladybug ran over to her and took off the earrings. The bluenette stomped on them, and a small glowing black butterfly popped out and was trying to make it's escape. "No more evildoing for you little akuma. Time to de-evilize! Gotcha! Bye, bye little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug recited her usual routine and the magical ladybugs turned everything back to normal, including Chloé.</p>
  <p>     "What am I doing here?" The blonde asked as the three heroes bunched back up together. "Pound it!" The three beamed as they fist bumped. "Ladybug?" Chloé asked reluctantly as she looked at the heroine. "Chloé, I… I'm really sorry about earlier. I would've defeated Vanisher sooner if I'd taken your advice." Ladybug apologized, and the blonde sat there silently before turning to a grin. "Oh, huh. In that case, I might reconsider."</p>
  <p>     "Reconsider what?" Ladybug asked, and Chloé beamed as she lunged herself at Ladybug, giving the bluenette a hug. "I might just have to stay your most devoted fan after all!" The blonde said, and Ladybug awkwardly patted her shoulder before placing a hand on her shoulder and gently pushing Chloé away. "Oh, yeah. Uh… thanks? I suppose. In that case, let me offer you some advice. You should work things out with your friend Sabrina." The bluenette advised, and Chloé hesitated before nodding and smirking. "Mm. Well, since it's coming from Ladybug. Ha ha."</p>
  <p>     Ladybug nodded at Chloé as she stood back up and turned to face the blond hero. "Thanks for your advice Chat Noir." The bluenette told him, and Chat Noir gave her a grin. "'Course. We're a team, aren't we?" He told her, and Ladybug smiled before nodding in agreement. "Unstoppable. Bug out!" Ladybug waved at everyone and used her yo-yo to make an exit, her earrings softly beeping as she left. Hummingbird watched her leave and held in a sigh, a pang of jealousy hitting her. <em>She said it herself. I should stop bothering. They got this, I'll just be a stick in the mud.</em></p>
  <p>     "I should get going. Bye, <em>colibri</em>!" Chat Noir smiled as he grabbed her hand. Before he could land a kiss on it, Hummingbird pulled her hand back and pushed his head away with her finger. "See ya later, Chat Noir." She said with a smirk, and the blond gave her a cocky grin before making his exit. Hummingbird stood there for a second before turning back to face Chloé, who seemed nervous. "It's been a while since the last time we talked." Chloé frowned at Hummingbird's words, avoiding eye contact with the heroine and opting to stare at her shoes. "Before you yell at me for not <em>changing</em> or whatever, I'll have you know it's not easy for someone to change overnight." </p>
  <p>     Hummingbird let out a soft sigh as she walked over to Chloé. She hesitated, but she placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder comfortingly. "I never said I expected you to. I'll be honest, you're doing a... <em>decent</em> job at not being the reason for every akuma. We'll call today an off day. Deal?" The heroine asked gently, and Chloé stood there silently before nodding. "...Deal." She mumbled, and Hummingbird let go of her shoulder and awkwardly smiled.</p>
  <p>     "Chloé... I just want to apologize again about last time. I'm a heroine, it's my job to help the citizens of Paris, not belittle them like I did to you. I wasn't being understanding, and I should've been. I'm sorry." The heroine concluded, and she gave Chloé a nod of acknowledgment before turning to leave. As she stood at the edge of the building, Chloé's soft voice stopped her. "Hummingbird?" She called out, and the heroine turned to face the blonde girl. "...Thank you... For understanding." Chloé muttered, continuing to look at her feet. Hummingbird smiled and pat the girl's shoulder before jumping off the building and making her way home.</p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     "<em>Mais même cette fleur n'est pas aussi jolie que toi.</em>" Y/n mumbled to herself as she looked out at the Paris night horizon. She held the rose in question in her hand, twirling it as she thought back to Chat Noir, his hot breath on her neck as he whispered to her—Y/n  shook her head harshly, the bustle of the civilians filling the air again. <em>Yikes that was uncomfortable. I need to teach him a thing or two about boundaries. </em></p>
  <p>     "Y/n? Are you okay?" Vinca asked as she flew out onto the balcony. "Hm? Oh—yeah! I'm fine! Why do you ask?" Y/n asked as she sat up in her chair, the kwami frowning as she sat on the table. "Because you've been sitting on the balcony for 30 minutes, spacing out. Aren't you cold?" Vinca asked, causing Y/n to lose herself into her thoughts again. <em>Mais même cette fleur—</em>Y/n let out a harsh shudder, cleared her throat, and stood up from her chair with a blush. "Yeah, yeah, I'm going back inside."</p>
  <hr/>
</div><p>     "Hey, here's Antibug." Alya quietly snickered as Chloé walked into the room. Y/n watched the blonde sit down, crossing her arms and sticking her nose into the air as she did. Soon after, Sabrina walked in, hesitantly dragging her feet to her seat. "And Vanisher? Huh, now all we need is Ladybug and Chat Noir." Alya continued to tease, and Y/n bit her lip at the irony, glancing at Adrien's blond locks up ahead. Sabrina stood at her seat, sad and unsure if she was wanted there. "Well? What are you doing? Sit down." Chloé told her, and Sabrina beamed as she sat down happily.</p><p>     Y/n could feel a smile grow on her face as she watched the corner of Chloé's mouth turn up. "Did you see that? Chloé smiled nicely! Kinda. I think she's actually happy to have Sabrina back." Marinette whispered as she pointed that out to Alya and Y/n. "Weirdly enough, I think the feeling is mutual." Y/n mumbled and Alya hummed in agreement. Sabrina took out her tablet, and Chloé slid another brooch in front of the ginger. "And put it on your sweater, it'll make it less horrible."</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     Sabrina put it on cheerfully and beamed at the blonde. "Oh, thank you Chloé!" She gushed, and Chloé gave her a shrug. "Yeah, yeah. You can show me your gratitude later, class is starting." The blonde disregarded, but once Sabrina took her attention to her tablet, she started to smile yet again. "I think they'll always be BFFs. In their own way." Marinette told her friends, and Y/n nodded in agreement as Alya smirked. "I still prefer our way, though. Even if you two are incapable of answering your phone sometimes." The brunette joked, and both Marinette and Y/n let out an awkward laughed as they all fist bumped.</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>YIKES that was an unintentional hiatus. the chapter script has been sitting in the drafts for a while so i finally pushed myself to publishing again! its been so longgg guys how have you been??? let me know!! i love hearing from you guys it gives me the motivation to publish &lt;3</p><p>btw i watched the new york special!! it was pretty good i cant wait for shang hi and season 4</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Volpina</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Why is my dad keeping this locked in a safe?" Adrien mumbled as he flipped through the book's pages. He let out a small gasp as he landed on a page with an illustration of a Chinese Hawk Moth. "Hawk Moth? What's this monster doing in a book about superheroes?"</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     "Mr. Agreste?" Skylar softly spoke as she opened the door to Gabriel Agreste's office. She nervously clutched the stack of papers and files in her hands as the older man blankly looked up at her. "Yes Skylar? I'm right in the middle of something very important." Gabriel muttered before look back down at his tablet and getting back to work. Skylar quietly took a deep breath and walked into the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. "There's been a miscommunication with the corporate office." The assistant edged on as Mr. Agreste looked back up and set down his pen. "What do they want?"</p><p>     "They couldn't find enough silk tulle so they tried to substitute it with nylon tulle, and they ended up altering the stitching slightly because of it." Skylar explained, holding up the sheets with the modified stitching and measurements. "What?! That is unacceptable! The sample garment doesn't match nylon all!" Gabriel frowned as he walked up to the woman and took a closer look at the calculations. "That's what I told them sir, but they insisted that the outcome would be alright."</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     "All they had to do was follow a pattern. Imbeciles! What am I supposed to do? The show is in three days!" Gabriel raged as he handed Skylar back the papers and ran a hand through his hair. He walked over to the painting of his wife and swung it off the wall, revealing a safe. He grabbed the heavy book he was reading off the pedestal and placed it in the safe before looking back at Skylar. "Call them back and tell them that they better fix their mistake or I will end all future collaborations. And let Nathalie know that I will be in my room." Gabriel told her as he walked out the door. Skylar nodded, following him out the room. "Yes sir."</p>
  <p>     "This is unbelievable." Gabriel muttered to himself as he made his way up the stairs. As Skylar made her way across the floor and into another room, Adrien poked his head out from behind a pillar. "He hides stuff behind the painting of Mom?" The blond mumbled to himsef, and a mischievous black kwami flew out from his shirt pocket with a smirk. "Ooh! I love dirty secrets!" Adrien took a quick peak around to make sure the coast was clear before walking into his father's office. Hesitantly, he swung open the painting of his mother and stared at the safe. "Oh, yes! Go on, go on!" Plagg cheered. </p>
  <p>     "I can't do it. My dad wouldn't like me going through his stuff. Besides, I don't even know the code, and my fencing class is about to start." Adrien concluded, grabbing the trim of the painting, but was interrupted by Plagg letting out a groan. "You're such a party pooper." He told the blond before phasing through the safe door and unlocking it. "Plagg, no!" Adrien panicked as the black kwami paid no attention and searched through the things. Curiously, the blond skimmed through the contents of the safe, his eyes landing on a picture of his mother sitting behind a brooch that resembled a peacock. </p>
  <p>     "My, my, what have we got here? A book on Tibet, an old flyer from a hotel, a load of junk, come on, where's the good stuff?" Plagg frowned as he knocked a thick book into Adrien's arms. "I've seen this book somewhere before. But who cares? I'm famished! I need Camembert!" The black kwami complained, bored at the underwhelming safe as he floated around the boy's head. "Why is my dad keeping this locked in a safe?" Adrien mumbled as he flipped through the pages. He let out a small gasp as he landed on a page with an illustration of a Chinese Hawk Moth. "Hawk Moth? What's this monster doing in a book about superheroes?"</p>
  <p>     "Cheese! Didn't you hear me?" The black kwami complained again. Adrien gave Plagg an annoyed look, and his heart began to race as footsteps began to approach his father's office. Adrien quickly dropped to his knees and shoved the book into his fencing bag. As the door was opening, Adrien quietly shut the picture closed and jolted up from the floor. "Adrien? You're going to be late." Nathalie told the blond as she walked in, the bodyguard, Mr. G, standing right behind her. "I was...looking for my homework. Silly me." Adrien nervously smiled, clutching the straps of his fencing bag as he followed Nathalie and Mr. G out the door. </p>
</div><hr/><p>     Y/n let out a yawn as she trailed behind Alya and Marinette. The three girls walked through the school doors, as the school around them chattered among their own friend groups. "Can you believe Lila knows Prince Ali? She even flew in his private jet with him!" Rose gushed to Juleka as the trio walked past them. Y/n paid no attention until Chloé repeated the new name as they walked past her and Sabrina. "Why did Jagged Stone write a song about Lila when he could've written it about me?"</p><p>     "Lila knows all of the Hollywood directors. She promised she'd mention me to Steven Basielberg himself!" Nino giddly exclaimed from the corner, officially getting Y/n's interest. It seemed she wasn't the only one intrigued, because Marinette turned to Alya with a questioning look on her face. "Lila?" She asked, only receiving a nod from Alya, who had her face glued to her phone. "Yeah, she just started at our school!"</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     Alya turned and pointed to the second floor and steered their friends attention to the brunette girl standing next to Adrien. "She even gave me an exclusive interview for the Ladyblog, 'cause Ladybug saved her life once! She even says she managed to become friends with Hummingbird! Can you imagine? Becoming friends with the secluded, vibrant hero of the shadows? Amazing! Watch!" Alya quickly typed away at her phone and pulled up the Ladyblog, showing Y/n and Marinette an interview she did with Lila. </p>
  <p>     Discreetly, Y/n cringed at the nickname Alya gave Hummingbird. <em>Do people really call me that? That's such an awful name.</em> "Who is this girl and what is she doing next to the love of my life?!" Marinette grumbled, glaring at Lila as she landed her hand on Adrien's shoulder. "Lila's got the most incredible life, and now she's going here. She's totally awesome!" Alya beamed, happily refreshing her page and watching her video gain traction. Y/n took a good look at the long haired girl before skeptically shaking her head. <em>I have never in my life met this Lila girl.</em> "Mmm... Sorry, I don't buy it. If she's so great howcome I didn't even know who she was?"</p>
  <p>     "Speak for yourself, Y/n, but I think Lila's pretty cool!" Alya defended, and Y/n shrugged her shoulders as she turned to Marinette, who was starting to derail. "What?! Don't say that! This is super bad, what if Adrien totally falls for her?! I've never flown in a private jet; nobody's ever written a song about me; and I don't know a single person in Hollywood! Adrien will forget I even exist!" The bluenette started to hyperventilate, tugging her pigtails as Y/n playfully rolled her eyes.</p>
  <p>     "Y'know, I think he'd have a better time remembering you if you go have an actual conversation with him for once." The girl teased, but Marinette paid no attention because she was too focused on the fact that Lila grabbed Adrien's hand and started to guide him to the library. "Where are they going? Guys, we've got to stop them!" Marinette gasped, dramatically grabbing Y/n and Alya's shoulders. The brunette let a quiet sigh as she shrugged Marinette's hand off her. "You need to chill out, Marinette. My Ladyblog has the highest number of hits ever after that Lila interview!"</p>
  <p>     Alya started to walk away, her head back in her phone as Marinette watched her leave with a pout. "What's going on? I mean has this Lila girl hypnotized everyone or something?" The bluenette let out a huff, and Y/n felt the need to make light of the situation in order to ease the tension. "You wouldn't be a little jealous, Marinette?" Y/n smirked, and the bluenette gave her a sheepish smile. "Huh! Me, jealous? No way!" The bluenette stood there awkwardly, but didn't stand there for long before running off to follow Adrien and Lila. </p>
  <p>     Y/n sadly sighed to herself as she walked over to Alya and Nino. Marinette made her way up the stairs and slammed open the library doors. Off to the corner, she saw Adrien sitting at a table alone. The bluenette discreetly hid behind a bookshelf and looked around for the new girl. "Where is she?" She whispered to herself, keeping an eye out for Lila. As the bluenette occupied herself, Adrien pulled out the book he took from his dad's safe from out of his bag. Tikki peaked her head outside Marinette's purse in curiosity, and gasped as her eyes made contact with the raggedy book.</p>
</div><p>     "Marinette, Adrien's book! I need to get a closer look at it." The red kwami alarmed as she flew out of Marinette's purse. The bluenette turn to her with surprise and nervously looked around the library to make sure she wasn't getting anyone's attention. "Why are you so concerned about his book? Hide, Tikki!" Marinette coerced, opening her bag and shoving it to the kwami, but before she could get enclosed, Tikki flew away and hid on top a book case near Adrien. </p><p>     "Now we can get going on our history homework. It's so much more fun doing it together, don't you think?" Lila asked as she made her way to Adrien's table, a stack of books in hand. Adrien, startled by the girl, shoved the under his notebook and gave the girl a friendly smile. Unfortunately, Lila took notice of the old book and grabbed it from underneath him. "What's that?" She asked, sliding the book towards herself and flipping through the pages. "Uh nothing! Just stories about superheroes." The blond dismissed.</p><p>     Much to Marinette's dismay, Lila placed her hand over Adrien's and gave him a warm smile. "I love superheroes!" She gushed, only causing Marinette to breakdown. "It's already too late!" The bluenette whispered to herself, accidentally bumping into a book cart and pushing it. Marinette yelped at the sudden movement and hid, as Tikki watched closely while Lila flipped through the pages. Lila opened to a section with pages ripped out of it and stared at it quizzically. "What happened here?" She asked, leading the blond to shrug. "Uh... I'm not sure."</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     Lila ignored it and flipped over to another page. From off to the side, Marinette hid behind a book cart and made her way to the table unnoticed. Lila let out a smile as she recognized the red and black suited heroine. "Ladybug!" The brunette beamed, and Adrien let out a dreamy sigh next to her. "She's amazing." He mumbled, mostly to himself, and Lila gave him a smirk. "A girl doesn't need to wear a costume to be amazing, you know." She teased, scooting her chair closer to Adrien, and the blond became flustered. "Uh, I don't know—I mean, I—"</p>
  <p>     "So you've got a little soft spot for the bug, huh?" Lila asked, closing the book as Adrien began to blush. "Me? Oh, no! Not at all!" He denied, but Lila gave him a cocky smirk. "You know I actually happen to be very close friends with Ladybug. Hummingbird too." The brunette boasted, and Adrien let out a surprised gasp. "Really?!" He asked, and Lila gave him a nod as she leaned in closer to him. "We can chat about it if you want. Not here though. Why don't we meet at the park after school and I'll tell you everything." Out of no where, a book cart slammed into the wall, causing Adrien and Lila to stand up in surprise.</p>
  <p>     Marinette ran underneath the table to hide as the two other teenagers composed themselves. Soon after, Adrien's phone set off an alert. "I gotta go! I've got a lesson in fifty-eight seconds." Adrien called out, picking his books off the table. Lila bumped into Adrien, causing him to drop his bag, and sneakily pushed the superhero book underneath the table with her foot. "So, the park?" Lila asked innocently, picking up Adrien's bag for him. "Uh sure!" Adrien dismissively called out as he ran out the library.</p>
  <p>     Lila waited until the blond was out of sight before picking up the book and flipping through it. "A vixen superheroine? Hmm, interesting..." Marinette watched with a pout from underneath the table as Lila made her out the library. "Marinette!" Tikki called as she flew underneath the table. "I know. I gotta talk to Adrien before he meets up with Lila in the park. He needs to know that she's a total thief." The bluenette righteously frowned, punching her fist into her palm, but red kwami shook her head.</p>
  <p>     "No! You can't say anything to Adrien yet. I need a chance to check out the book first. If it's the one I think it is, we have to get our hands on it!" Marinette look at her kwami in confusion as she dropped her hands. "I don't get it? Exactly why would we need it?" The bluenette asked, but Tikki bit her lip before letting out a quiet sigh. "I'll try to explain as much as I can once I know for sure. Please, we mustn't let Lila out of our sight!"</p>
</div><hr/><p>     "Ladybug and me, we're like this!" Lila's voice echoed as she crossed her fingers in the video. Marinette closed the Ladyblog with a growl and glared at the phantom image if the brunette. "Liar!" Marinette whispered, but Tikki was quick to bring her out if her trance. "There! She's coming out!" The red kwami pointed out as Marinette peaked over the corner. Lila exited the jewelry store and made her way to Le Place des Vosges. As Lila sat down on a bench under the shade, Marinette did her best to hide behind a tree. "We're too far away." Tikki complained. </p><p>     Marinette thought for a second before smirking and pulling out her phone. She opened the camera app and zoomed in on Lila, who was putting on a necklace with a fox tail charm. The brunette pulled out Adrien's old book, but then quickly hid it behind her when she realized Adrien was approaching. "Oh hi!" The girl giddily smiled as she stood up to greet the blond. "Oh no! He's already here!" Marinette panicked, and she watched her crush make her way towards Lila helplessly. "Hey!" Adrien greeted, and while he had his back turned Lila quickly threw away the book in a nearby trashcan.</p><p>     "She dumped the book in the trash bin! What a brat!" Marinette fumed, and Tikki looked at the garbage bin desperately. "I'll get it—" The red kwami began to offer, but Marinette violently shaked her head no. "No Tikki!" The bluenette warned, but the red kwami gave her a frown. "I have to get that book! You take care of Adrien." Tikki flew off before Marinette could protest, and flew into the trash can. "Tikki!" The bluenette whisper-shouted, sighing to herself before crawling closer to the red kwami, who was struggling to pull the book out of the trash.</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     "So you do know Ladybug, for real?" Marinette heard Adrien asked, and Tikki finally carried the old book out. "This is the book Marinette! We need to get this to Hummingbird, ASAP!" The kwami whispered, and Marinette grabbed the book with a quizzed look. "What— Why?" She mumbled, but her attention soon turned to Lila as she boasted to Adrien. "Not only did Ladybug save my life, us and Hummingbird became very close friends because we have something very special in common— it's what I wanted to tell you about. I'm the descendant of a vixen superheroine myself, Volpina." The brunette shyly smiled, showing Adrien her necklace. "Volpina?" The blond asked, mesmerized.</p>
  <p>     "Volpina?" Marinette muttered with furrowed brows, and Adrien suddenly got a look of recognition on his face. "Wait a minute! I think I read about her in my book." He beamed, grabbing his duffel bag, but Lila jumped up and grabbed his hands with a nod. "Of course she's in your book. She's one of the most important superheroes. More powerful and more celebrated than Ladybug. Between you and me, Ladybug and Hummingbird don't even make the top ten. My grandma gave me this necklace."</p>
  <p>     Marinette started to fume, angry at the slander that Lila was making to her super heroine self, and Tikki looked at the brunette with surprise "Wow she's good. Really good." The red kwami whispered, and she quickly flew inside Marinette's purse as the bluenette started to run off into a corner. "You've got your book. I can't lose Adrien. Time to transform! Tikki, spots on!" In a sudden burst of pink light, Marinette transformed into Ladybug, launched herself up with her yo-yo.</p>
  <p>     "Are you telling me this is a Miraculous?!" Adrien asked in disbelief, but before Lila could respond, Ladybug landed on the ground in front of them. "Well hey Lila! How's it going? Long time no see. I saw your interview on the Ladyblog, awesome job." The heroine sarcastically smiled as she landed her foot in between Adrien and Lila, leaning closer to the brunette. "Oh sure! I remember our instant connection when I saved your life and we've been really good friends ever since! Practically BFF's! Uh actually, when did I save your life again, Lila? I don't recall. Oh yes! Of course, now I remember. Never! And we're not friends either!"</p>
  <p>     Ladybug let out a huff as she stood back, standing up straight with her arms crossed and turned to Adrien. "Miss Show-Off here was trying to impress you and everyone around her." The brunette began to cry, and Adrien awkwardly looked between the two girls before turning to Lila. "So I guess you aren't the descendant of a superhero either?" He quietly asked, but Ladybug was quick to answer him. "She's more like a super liar." The heroine told him, and Lila stood up with a stomp. "How dare you?!" The brunette yelled, tears running down her face. Face red with embarrassment, the girl turned away and ran out the park. </p>
  <p>     "Wait! Lila!" Adrien called out, but he let out a frown when the brunette turned the corner. Hesitantly, the blond turned to face Ladybug, who had a smile of relief written on her face. "Hey, what was that all about? Uh, I mean, weren't you kinda harsh with her?" The blond asked, and Ladybug looked at him with surprise. "I...I don't put up with lies, especially when they're about me." She said sternly, yo-yoing away before Adrien had the chance to say anything. The blond watched her silhouette in the distance with confusion. "What is with you, Ladybug?" He whispered to himself.</p>
  <hr/>
</div><p>     Ladybug landed an a roof abruptly and huffed. Her jealousy began to spike when she thought back to the concern Adrien had for the brunette. "I may have gone a bit overboard there, but at least I'm not dealing with her anymore. Now, let's get this book to Hummingbird." Ladybug opened her yo-yo phone, sighing to herself when she saw the Hummingbird was offline. "I guess a little bit of patrol wouldn't hurt while I wait." The heroine concluded, shutting her phone with a snap and yo-yoing away.</p><hr/><p>     "I'm gonna be honest here, today has been a bit too uneventful in my opinion." Y/n sighed as she dropped her switch down on her lap. She sat up from her bed and walked to her balcony as her kwami trailed behind her. "Didn't you get a new student in your homeroom?" Vinca asked, sitting down on the table as Y/n leaned against the fencing. "Well, yeah but I mean akuma-wise." The girl muttered, staring off into the city horizon. "You could always set down your Switch for once and go out on patrol." Vinca smirked, and Y/n gave her a glare as she sat down on a chair.</p><p>     "For your information, I did just set down my Switch so HAH. And you know what? I just decided that your opinion doesn't mat— WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Y/n screamed, staring up to the sky as a gigantic meteor started to make its way down to the city of Paris. Vinca looked up in alarm, and stared at the flaming rock as it started to turn the sky orange. Before Vinca could say anything, Y/n was quick to jump up from her seat and ran into her room. "Vinca, let's fly!" The kwami was sucked into the necklace, and with a flash of light Y/n transformed into Hummingbird.</p><p>     The teal heroine ran towards the Louvre as the meteor continued to make its way closer. As soon as she got there, Hummingbird looked around to see if there was enough surface area for her to spawn net arrows and hopefully catch the meteor. Before she could make another move, a flash of orange flew by Hummingbird and made its way up to the flaming meteor. Hummingbird stood in shock as the mysterious figure caught the rock before it hit the Louvre, and the figure stood there with a smirk before hurling the meteor back to the sky. </p><p>     "Wha-..." Hummingbird stood dumbfounded, and the orange figure flew away behind a building. Within seconds, the orange figure made its way out and stood over the Parisians below. "I am Volpina, the only superhero Paris needs!" The brunette stared down with a smirk, and the citizens began to chant her name as Hummingbird stared in disbelief. "Volpina? But... Master Fu hasn't given anyone any new Miraculous, has he?" The heroine mumbled to herself.</p><p>     Hummingbird looked across the courtyard and saw Ladybug and Chat Noir talking with each other, so she quietly made her way towards them. Before she could make out their conversation, Volpina abruptly landed in front of the two heroes. "Hey guys! Glad you dropped in, I need a hand. Come on!" Volpina flew off without another word, and Ladybug and Chat Noir looked at each other in confusion before following the orange heroine. Hummingbird's curiosity took over her, and she decided to discreetly follow the other three heroes to a nearby roof.</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     "I can't believe it! It's Hawk Moth in the flesh!" Hummingbird heard Chat Noir say. She peeked over a chimney and almost choked on her spit when she saw Hawk Moth's tall figure standing on a roof across from them. <em>What is happening... This can't be real.</em> Hummingbird thought to herself as Ladybug let out a stutter. "He never shows up! Something big is going on. Really big!" The red heroine exclaimed. "We can take him down, but it's gonna take all three of us. We better make the most of our individual talents." Volpina told the other two heroes, and Chat Noir gave her an affirming nod. "You can count on us."</p>
  <p>     "Very nice to meet you by the way Chat Noir! Cool outfit." Volpina said with a smirk, flicking his little bell as Chat Noir began to scratch the back of his head. "Why thanks! You too, Volpina." He told her with a smile, and Hummingbird rolled her eyes with a scoff, her stomach churning at the idea of this random hero flirting with one of her friends. Ladybug also let out a silent gag before turning her attention to the series of events. "First the meteorite, now Hawk Moth appearing both on the same day. Don't you think that's a little bit unusual?"</p>
  <p>     "Why would you say that?" The brunette asked as she turned to face Ladybug, but the red heroine gave her an annoyed frown. "I was asking Chat Noir." Ladybug told her. "I'm finding you unusual today, My Lady. Everything okay?" Chat Noir asked, genuinely concerned as Ladybug dismissively waved her hand. "I'm fine, just fine. Say Volpina, what's your Miraculous?" The red heroine asked, and Hummingbird expectantly stared at the brunette, waiting for her answer. </p>
  <p>     "My necklace." Volpina answered confidently, and Ladybug stared at her with suspicion. "What power does it give you?" Ladybug asked again, and the orange heroine began to look unamused. "The power of flight and super strength." She answered again, but suddenly she began  to panic as she pointed to Hawk Moth's vanishing figure. "He's getting away!" She yelled, and the three heroes began to chase after him as Hummingbird stayed on that roof, skeptical of this new heroine. "Flight <em>and</em> strength? For a fox? Something's off here..."</p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     "Let's land." Hummingbird huffed as she landed in an empty alleyway. The area shined a bright teal as Y/n detransformed and Vinca landed on her head. "Y/n, what are you doing?" The kwami asked, but the girl paid no attention as she placed Vinca in her pocket and ran towards the direction of Master Fu's building. "Master Fu!" Y/n called out as she slammed open the building door. Wayzz and Vinca flew out in a worry as Master Fu gave the girl a smile. "Y/n! What a surprise!" He greeted, not yet picking up the girl's distress. </p>
  <p>     "Master, have you handed out a Miraculous to anyone as of recently?" Y/n asked, causing the old man to sit up in confusion. "No? Why do you ask?" He asked her, and Y/n frowned as she ran her fingers through her hair. <em>There's no way someone would just steal one, right?</em> "Master, I need to see the Miracle Box! This is very urgent!" She desperately told the old man, and Master Fu nodded as he led her to the disguised record player. After pressing the three buttons the record player opened to the Miracle Box, revealing all the Miraculous in their place. </p>
  <p>     "What?... Then how— ...?" Y/n mumbled to herself as the fox miraculous caught her eye, sitting on the second level next to the bee miraculous. Vinca and Wayzz flew up next to the box, the green kwami staring at Y/n in confusion. "I'm not sure I understand." Wayzz mumbled, and Master Fu counted all the Miraculous before looking at Y/n with worry. "It seems that all of them are here, so why the urgency?" He asked the girl, but Y/n ignored his question as she pointed to the fox necklace. "Master Fu, what are the powers of the fox Miraculous?"</p>
  <p>     "The power of Illusions." He recited as he put the box away, and the girl started to pace as she rubbed her chin in thought. "So if all the Miraculous are here... Of course! I'm such an idiot!" Y/n exclaimed, slapping her forehead as the other three stared in confusion. "What?" Vinca asked aloud, and Y/n turned to her with a relieved grin. "That Volpina character has to be an akuma! I knew something was up when she said her powers were strength <em>and</em> flying. If a hummingbird can't fly I knew damn well there was no way a fox could! That means that figure flying around with LB and Chat is an illusion! Hawk Moth was too!"</p>
  <p>     "I'm still a little lost here." Master Fu mumbled, but the girl dismissively waved her hand as she ushered Vinca into her pocket. "That's fine! Either way, thanks for the help Master Fu, Wayzz!" The girl waved, slamming the door shut behind her as she ran back towards the empty alleyway. "Where are we going now?" Vinca asked from the pocket as Y/n checked the time on her phone. "To help out our buddies the bug and the cat of course!" <em>Hopefully I'm not too late.</em> "Vinca, let's fly!"</p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     Hummingbird let out a huff as she landed on a rooftop. In the distance she could see Ladybug's bright red figure surrounded by bombs, standing across Volpina's orange one. "You wouldn't do that!" She heard Ladybug yell, and Volpina stared at her with a smirk before blowing into her flute and sending a blast to a nearby building, causing it to "collapse". "Stop!" Ladybug yelled, defeated as she reaches for her earrings. Before she could make another move, Hummingbird landed in front of Ladybug and shot an arrow at the falling building, revealing the illusion. "There's no need for that Ladybug! It's all just an illusion!"</p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     "Just like the meteorite! Just like Hawk Moth! That's your power Volpina, isn't it?! Illusion, lies. Of course!" The red heroine exclaimed in revelation as she threw her yo-yo at all the bombs, and everything vanished before their eyes. "Of course!" She muttered to herself, bringing out her yo-yo phone and calling Chat Noir. "Is Volpina with you, Chat Noir?" She asked, and the blond shook his head through the screen. "No! And I can't find Hawk Moth either."</p>
  <p>     "Forget it. He was never there in the first place." Hummingbird called out, and Chat Noir looked at her in surprise. "HB? What do you mean? But we saw him. Right, Ladybug?" But instead of agreeing with him, the red heroine shook her head. "No, Hummingbird's right. That's Volpina's power. She creates illusions. The Hawk Moth we saw wasn't real." Ladybug explained, but Chat Noir continued to give them a confused look. "What are you trying to say?"</p>
  <p>     "What she means is that Volplina is <em>not a real superhero.</em> She was akumatized by Hawk Moth!" Hummingbird told him, and Chat Boir let out a huff. "I don't get it? Why did he do it?" Hummingbird rolled her eyes at his thick-headedness as Ladybug quietly frowned. "I think it's partly my fault. I ruined her chances with a guy she likes." At that explanation, Chat Noir lit up with realization. "Lila?" He mumbled to himself, and Hummingbird quietly let out an exasperated sigh. <em>Adrien, you make it so obvious you're Chat Noir sometimes. You're lucky Ladybug isn't paying much attention, you idiot.</em></p>
  <p>     "I'm sure she's going to his house. I'll send you the address. Meet us there!" Ladybug told him, and Chat Noir gave her a nod. "You got it!" He said before hanging up, and the red herione turned her attention to Hummingbird. "Let's go!" Ladybug yelled out, and Hummingbird gave her a smile. "Lead the way." The two heroes launched themselves off the rooftops, making their way to the Agreste Mansion. As they grew closer, they saw Volpina's figure come to view. </p>
</div><p>     "Ladybug's jealous because she's not as powerful as me." The two heard Volpina flaunt as they hung outside of view of Adrien's window. "You'll see, Ladybug isn't just a figment of your imagination, Volpina." The bluenette angrily muttered as she dialed Chat Noir, but was lead to no answer. "What is he doing?" She asked out loud, and Hummingbird gave her a shrug. "Uhm... No signal?" Ladybug rolled her eyes as she shut her phone and looked back into the window. "Well, no time to hang around and wait any longer."</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     The two heroines swung into the room and Volpina turned to face them with a scowl. "See what I mean! They're jealous of me, of you, of us, but this time you aren't going to ruin our date, Ladybug." Adrien awkwardly gulped and gave the two heroines a strained smile. "Mm, excuse me, but it wasn't really quite a date, per say." At his words Volpina turned to him angrily, and Adrien panicked before giving her a tense shrug. "I mean— what I meant was it could've become one right? No need to get bent out of shape!"</p>
  <p>     "Excuse us, but I need to have a chat with super liar." Ladybug told Adrien with a soft smile. The blond nodded and ran off into the bathroom as the red heroine glared at Volpina. "You! Stop thinking your illusions are reality!" Ladybug brought out her yo-yo as Hummingbird readied her bow, and Volpina let out a scoff. "Make me." She told them with a smirk as she blew into her flute and summoned a room full of illusions of her. As Ladybug and Hummingbird fought them off Chat Noir landed on the open window. </p>
  <p>     "Sorry I'm late. I had some trouble... ...finding the place." Chat Noir told them as he jumped into the room. Ladybug spun her yo-yo and Hummingbird launched multiple arrows to make the clones disappear as Chat Noir stared in awe. "Illusions!" He exclaimed, and the two heroines turned their attention out the window, where Volpina was leaping away with Adrien as a captive. "Guys! She's taken Adrien!" Ladybug yelled, worried, as Chat Noir gave her a shrug. "That's an illusion, too!"</p>
  <p>     "How are you so sure?" Ladybug asked with a frown, and Hummingbird watched Chat Noir, amused, as he began to stutter. "Uh...my..um...feline sixth sense. It's legendary! Oh..." The teal heroine quietly shook her head before moving to stand with Chat Noir. "C'mon, Ladybug. She's obviously just trying to distract us." Hummingbird reassured, but Ladybug walked over to the bathroom and gasped when she yanked the door open and was met with an empty room. "Really? You don't say! Adrien's gone!"</p>
  <p>     Without another word, Ladybug leaped outside Adrien's window. Hummingbird began to follow her, and behind her Chat Noir began to mumble. "I'm not even gonna try to get out of this." He told himself, and Hummingbird held in a giggle before jumping out and catching up with the red heroine. The three heroes followed the orange blur and made their way to the Eiffel Tower, where Volpina started to evilly dangle Adrien with a cackle. The trio tried to climb up the tower, but Volpina held out Adrien in front of them.</p>
  <p>     "Give me your Miraculous now or I will!" She taunted, and Ladybug gave her a frown. "I thought you loved him!" She called out to the villain, and the brunette shook her head. "Not as much as seeing you three defeated! No hard feelings, right?" She asked the captive blond, and Chat Noir gave her a glare. "You're bluffing. It's another illusion." He spoke with confidence, and Volpina smirked. "You wanna bet on that?" She asked, loosening her grip on Adrien and releasing a finger one at a time. "NO!!" Ladybug screamed hopelessly, and at a time of desperation she reached up to her earrings.</p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     "Don't do it, Ladybug!" Chat Noir yelled at her, grabbing her hands before she could take them off. "It's not worth it." Hummingbird agreed, pulling out her bow as she thought of what to do next. "There's no other way!" She cried out, and Hummingbird let out a sigh. "Oh my fucking god." She mumbled to herself as she impulsively summoned an arrow and shot it at the two figures at the top of the tower. "No!" Ladybug screamed, but the arrow went right through the figures and bounced off the tower, causing the illusion of Volpina and Adrien to vanish. </p>
  <p>     "Told you." Hummingbird bluntly responded, and Ladybug's cheeks began to heat up with embarrassment as she looked for the real Volpina. "There she is!" Ladybug pointed out. The three heroes climbed up to the top of the tower as the akumatized villain played her flute to create more illusions of herself. "Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called out, and a chocolate popsicle appeared in her hands. "Huh?" She mumbled to herself as she opened it. Chat Noir took the ice cream and shoved it into his mouth as Ladybug examined the bright inner wrapper. "I've got an idea to take down Volpina!"</p>
  <p>     Hummingbird stared at Chat Noir, unamused. The blond hero gave her a cheeky grin and Hummingbird pulled the popsicle out his mouth and threw it off the side of the tower. He gave her a sad frown and turned to Ladybug with his arms crossed. "With a wrapper?" He asked, and the bluenette gave him a nod. "Trust me. Get ready." She advised him, and the blond nodded and held up his hand. "Cataclysm!" He called out, and Ladybug took the chance to use the shiny wrapper to blind the illusions of Volpina. The real Volpina reacted to the light blinding her eye, and once she realized she was caught she tried to jump and get away. </p>
  <p>     "Speeding Hum!" Hummingbird quickly called out, causing time around her to slow, and Volpina stood there in midair. <em>Okay, Y/n. Don't mess this up. Create an opportunity.</em> Hummingbird grabbed the orange villain's ankle and yanked her back down to the floor. Hummingbird lined her up with the empty space and moved out of the way as time went back to normal. Before Volpina realized where she was,  Chat Noir used his Cataclysm to make a cage around her with the tower's metal. "Trapped! Like a fox!" Ladybug beamed as she walked over to Volpina, yanking off her necklace and smashing it on the floor.  </p>
  <p>     "Your days are over, akuma! Time to de-evilize! Gotcha! Bye, bye little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" The purified akuma flew off as Ladybug threw the ice cream wrapper into the air. As usual, magical ladybugs flew around the city of Paris and set everything back to normal. "Pound it!" Chat Noir beamed, and Ladybug happily pressed her fist up to his. The two stood there expectantly until Hummingbird realized they were waiting for her, and the heroine hesitantly joined them in their little act of celebration. Ladybug then noticed the brunette student to the side of them and awkwardly walked up to her. "Lila?" The red heroine mumbled, and Chat Noir and Hummingbird awkwardly stood on the sidelines as Lila rubbed her head in confusion. "Ladybug?"</p>
  <p>     "I... totally overreacted and... never should've spoken to you like that. I'm sorry." Ladybug apologized, and the tension in the air grew thick as Lila gave the heroine a glare. "Forget it, Ladybug; you were right. We'll never be friends." Lila told Ladybug as she picked up her necklace and walked away. "Ouch..." Chat Noir muttered, and Hummingbird cleared her throat in hopes of clearing the tension as well. "Uhm... Another job well done!" She said with a smile, but Ladybug gave her a frown and shook her head. "There's one problem we still have to solve. Where's Adrien?"</p>
</div><p>     "Uh...everything's been put back to normal, right? So he must be safely back at home." Chat Noir said nervously as Ladybug made her way to the edge of the tower. "I should check to make sure!" She told them, but the blond placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a strained smile. "Uh... No, don't worry about it! I'll go! You're about to change back." The blond pointed out as Ladybug's earrings beeped. The bluenette gave him a frown as Chat Noir's ring also let out a beep. "So are you. No arguing. I'll take care of it."</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <p>     "I'll do it. You both go home and rest up." Hummingbird told Ladybug, and the red heroine began to pout. "But Hummingbird you're also about to—" Before Ladybug could finish her sentence, Hummingbird shook her head and stoically stared at the heroine. "No buts. Don't worry, I'll let you know how the blondie's doing as soon as I get there." The heroine reassured as she held up her bow, referencing the phone as Ladybug let out a quiet sigh. Dejectedly, the red heroine nodded at the deal as Hummingbird gave her a smile. "I gotta say though, I had fun working with you two today."</p>
  <p>     "Oh! That reminds me. I need to speak to you in private. Meet me at this address whenever you're done." Ladybug slid open her yo-yo phone and sent a message to Hummingbird, quickly closing it before Chat Noir could take a peak. Hummingbird glanced at the grip of her bow as the screen lit up and read an adress, a building down from Marinette's house. The heroine quietly nodded as Ladybug's earrings let out another beep. Ladybug gave her ally and partner a wave goodbye as she launched her yo-yo out into the distance. "Bug out!" </p>
  <p>     As Ladybug's figure disappeared behind the city line, Chat Noir turned to Hummingbird with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. "Wow, I'm offended you two made plans right in front of me and <em>didn't</em> invite me." Hummingbird let out a giggle as she walked up to the jealous blond. "Awe, don't get jealous, kitty. We'll get our own one on one time at some point." She told him, flicking his little bell and giving him a wink.</p>
  <p>     Chat Noir began to blush profusely and Hummingbird laughed at his reaction. "Now you know what it's like to be the flustered one. I better go, see you out there, Chat." The heroine sent him one last smirk before jumping off the tower and making her towards the Agreste Mansion. "Woah..." Chat Noir mumbled to himself as he watched her figure leave, but he was brought out of his trance as his miraculous let out another beep. "Oh crap! That's right!"</p>
</div><hr/><p>     Hummingbird landed in the room with a small huff. She stood patiently as a muffled thud came from the bathroom. She waited a couple seconds to give Chat Noir a chance to come up with a story as she softly knocked on the bathroom door. "Adrien?" The heroine asked, and she waited a second before opening the door. "I'm coming in." Before she could open it an inch further, the shower turned on. Hummingbird smiled at the improv as she shut the door closed. "Hey, it's Hummingbird. Is everything okay?" The heroine asked, and she heard shuffling on the other side, assuming the blond pressed up against the door. "Uh...yeah, yeah. I had to grab a shower after all this excitement."</p><p>     Hummingbird had to hold back a laugh at the excuse as she nodded to herself. "Uh, huh. Yeah, sure. Well, if you're sure you're alright I'll be off then." She replied, hearing a quiet "Thank you!" as she walked away from the door. "<em>Chaton insensé.</em>" The heroine muttered to herself with a scoff. As she made her way to the window, she skimmed around the room, her eyes landed on Adrien's desk chair. Her band hoodie from the time they went to get ice cream was in the seat of it.</p><p>     Hummingbird felt her cheeks heat up out of embarrassment when she realized that the blond continues to wear it, and her hand hovered over the black fabric for a second. Apart of her wanted to grab her hoodie back, but she let her hand fall to her side as she realized it would've been weird if it suddenly just went missing. <em>He'll give it back to me eventually.</em> Hummingbird reassured herself as she jumped out the window and made her way to Marinette's house.</p><p></p><div class="poem">
  <hr/>
  <p>     "This book could've been my connection to Adrien without my Ladybug mask for once, but I get that I'm not gonna be returning it to him." Marinette sighed as she looked at the thick book in her hands. She flipped through the pages as Tikki looked at her with a sad smile. "I'm really sorry Marinette, but its information is invaluable." The red kwami told her as Marinette looked at the book with furrowed brows. "Information? But it's all written in code."</p>
</div><div class="poem">
  <p>     "Code you say?" Hummingbird responded as she landed on the rooftop. "Hummingbird?" Marinette mumbled to herself, but then the bluenette started to panic as she looked down to her clothes. "Wait, you're early! We were supposed to meet across the street!" The bluenette said as she looked around for any citizen eyes. Hummingbird awkwardly smiled as she scratched her chin. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just figured I stop by early, I didn't realize you weren't done... recharging." Hummingbird apologized, and Tikki dismissively waved her hand as she brought Hummingbird's attention to the book. "Is this the thing you wanted to show me?" The heroine asked and Marinette gave her a nod.</p>
  <p>     "Tikki said it was important that I give this to you. What exactly is so special about this book?" The bluenette asked as she handed Hummingbird the book, and the heroine gave her a shrug as she flipped through the pages. "To be honest... I'm not entirely sure myself." She responded as she flipped to a section that had the pages ripped out. "I'm not sure I should be telling you this, but it contains all the secrets of the Miraculous powers. It's sacred and extremely dangerous in the wrong hands." Tikki explained, and the two girls looked at the red kwami with curiosity. </p>
  <p>     "I see..." Hummingbird mumbled to herself after opening to the a page with an illustration of Hawk Moth. As she stared at it with furrowed brows, Marinette faced the heroine with confusion. "I don't get it, Hummingbird. Just tell me what's going on." The bluenette pleaded, but the heroine shook her head and tucked the book under her arm. "I'm afraid it's not my place to say. But, thank you for giving this to me. I promise you this book is in good hands." As Hummingbird turned to leave, Marinette stood up and grabbed the heroine by the wrist.</p>
  <p>     "Wait! Uh... Sorry, one last question. How come you haven't detransformed yet? You used your Speeding Hum, but your necklace hasn't beeped, and it's already been twenty minutes." Tikki stared with a smile as Marinette looked at Hummingbird's Miraculous with a frown. The heroine looked down at the necklace, surprised at what the bluenette pointed out. "I... I'm not sure. But I need to get going. See you out there, Bugaboo." Hummingbird gave Marinette and Tikki one last wave before jumping off the rooftop and heading towards Master Fu's place. </p>
  <hr/>
  <p>     "Heyo! I'm back!" Y/n giddily exclaimed as she entered Master Fu's building, a tray of macarons in her hand. "Second time today!" Master Fu greeted with a grin as he set the kettle onto the stove and prepared the tea. Wayzz flew out from the record player and met with Vinca at the table as Y/n sat down and placed her bag down next to her. "Yeah, sorry for busting in frantically earlier today. It was an akuma attack thing." The girl sheepishly explained, but Master Fu dismissively waved a hand as he poured her a cup of water.  "I'm glad it could be resolved."</p>
  <p>     "Alright, Master Fu? I have something for you." Y/n said with a smile, cheekily meeting eyes with Vinca as Master Fu sat down at the table. Wayzz looked at the two humans in confusion as he shoved a strawberry macaron into his mouth. "And what might that be?" The Chinese man asked, grabbing a chocolate macaron for himself. Y/n beamed, and reached in her bag to pull out the thick brown book that Marinette gave her. At the sight of it, Master Fu dropped his macaron and stared at the book in awe. "How... How did you get this?" He asked, standing up from his seat and grabbing the book from Y/n's hands. </p>
  <p>     "Tikki and Marinette found it, and Tikki told me to give it to you." Y/n explained happily, having a small understanding that the book was very special. "Y/n, do you know what this is?" Master Fu said with a smile, and Y/n gave him a confused look. "An old book?" She muttered jokingly, but Wayzz flew up to her after examining the book with a grin. "Not just any old book! That's an old sacred text that holds information on the history of the Miraculouses! It has everything you'd need to know about the Miraculous world! The heroes, their kwamis, their weapons, their powers, all of that about every Miraculous there is!"</p>
  <p>     Y/n looked at the book, bewildered. Vinca looked at her owner with a smirk as the girl carefully flipped through the pages and inspected each line. "So... All these heroes... They're all the first generation of Miraculous holders?" The other three nodded as Y/n flipped towards the section of the book with ripped pages. The girl inspected it for a while before it clicked in her mind. "I knew the writing was familiar! This is where those Hummingbird papers came from, right?" She asked, earning a small laugh of joy from Master Fu. Wayzz flew to the record player to grab the stack of papers before handing the pages to Y/n. </p>
  <p>     The girl placed the Hummingbird pages in the slot neatly before continuing to flip through the book's contents. As she reached the illustration of Hawk Moth, she gave Master Fu a confused frown. "Wait... If this is about superheroes, why is Hawk Moth in here?" Vinca and Wayzz gave each other a knowing look as Master Fu let out a quiet sigh. "That will be a story for another time...It's late, Y/n. You should get home soon." The Chinese man smiled, gently grabbing the book back as the girl looked at her cup of water.<em> I didn't even get to have tea.</em> Begrudgingly, the girl softly nodded, grabbing her backpack as she stood up from the table.</p>
  <p>     "Master? Before I leave, I have a question." The girl mumbled, turning to the old man as Vinca shoved another macaron into her mouth. "Today, during the akuma attack, I used my Speeding Hum in battle. But, after we were done, my Miraculous didn't start beeping, and I went to both Adrien's and Marinette's house in a span of twenty minutes without detransfroming. Did... Did I break something? What does this mean?"</p>
  <p>     The girl asked worriedly, but Master Fu turned to her with a grin as he grabbed a to-go cup and filled it with tea. "It means you're getting stronger. Being able to stay in form after you use your special power takes a lot of strength and energy. We'll talk next time, okay?" He told her, handing Y/n the cup and leading her to the front door. The gir happily grabbed the cup and beamed. "Have a good night Master!" She waved as Vinca grabbed a couple more macarons before flying into the girl's backpack. "You too, Y/n." The old man responded, giving the girl a wave as she closed the door behind her. </p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hey guys! sorry ive been out for so long, junior year is hella tough hehe. but i hope everyone has had a good year so far! i cant wait for the next chapter, and were almost onto season/book two! as always let me know what you guys thought of the chapter, and i hope you're all safe and well!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>